Gate Crasher's
by poe1911
Summary: Another tale in my Ian and Dawn series. A crossover with Stargate SG1. The SG1 team thought they could deal with the unusual, but they don't know what unusual means. Now my tale is done.
1. A Roman Holiday

A/N This is a continuation of my Ian and Dawn series (the Seraph, Hearts in Darkness, Through an Angel's Eyes and How Like a Fallen Angel). For those not familiar, it is not essential that you read any of the prior stories, but it would help with some of the details. To summarize, Ian is a Seraph (half human half Angel); he met Dawn at the end of Sunnydale and they fell in love, but he had to leave. The re-united after two years and started traveling together (think Highway to Heaven, only a bit more extreme). They were still in love and eventually got married. This story takes place approximately 9 years after Chosen, and is set around season 4 or 5 of Stargate SG1. Before anyone freaks, I don't care if the timelines don't mesh, it's my world, deal with it. Anything you recognize is either the property of Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon, or MGM Television and a bunch of corporate types who wouldn't know good television if it bit em on the bum. Alas and alack, I'm not making any money off of this, plus I'm poor to begin with, so suing me wont get you beans. I hope you enjoy my little tale, and all reviews are welcome, but please try and keep them coherent. Thanks

POE1911

GATE CRASHER'S – CHAPTER 1

Daniel Jackson never thought he'd end up here. He had been to some remarkable places in the last few years, but never in his wildest dreams did he think this would be one of them. What made it truly surprising was that it was a location on his own planet, and not some exotic local at the far end of the universe. He glanced about him, amazed at the sheer volume of information all around him, information that was guarded tighter than any other such repository on earth. Getting into Fort Knox would be a cake walk compared to getting in here. "Come along Dr. Jackson" the voice ahead of him said "time to gawk like a tourist later." Daniel focused back on his guide and tried to ignore the glory that was the Vatican Archives.

His guide was a strange duck, he was a Cardinal, and Daniel had thought that just meant the man would be nicer or holier than usual. A gruff old man who berated him like an addled schoolboy was not the kind of person that he had expected. But an invitation to see the Vatican Archives is not a usual request.

It had come three weeks ago, just after he and SG-1 had returned from a training mission on P4X-W63, playing hares to SG-4 and SG-6's hounds. He was feeling grimy and sweaty and wanting a shower more than anything else on earth. He had staggered to his room and managed to drop all of his equipment and get out of his clothes in under ten seconds when the words 'Dr. Jackson report to General Hammonds office, immediately' came over the com system. He sagged against the door of his bathroom and rubbed his eyes under his glasses 'why me' he thought, I could be at some university right now giving out assignments and researching things I'm interested in, but no, I've got to voluntarily work for the military. He slapped on some de-odorant and put on some fresh clothes and headed out to see what Hammond wanted. Once he got to the General's office, he took Daniel topside to the meeting room reserved for people who didn't know about the Stargate program. Waiting for them there was a man dressed all in red, including a skull cap. "What is this about sir" Daniel asked, while eyeing the other man in the room.

"Doctor Jackson, I'd like to introduce you to Cardinal Husakos, and envoy from the Pope, he's here from Rome to speak to you. Eminence, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, a member of one of our teams."

"Yes" the old man added "and one of the foremost Egyptologists in the world; a master of linguistics, and a man who now works for the U.S. government."

"So what can I do for you, Eminence?"

"Quite simply, we need your help Dr. Jackson."

"With what?"

"A scroll that we have found in the archives, it is in an ancient Hebrew, which we can read, however it also has some Egyptian style markings on it, which we can barely read. We at the Vatican were hoping you would be able to help us understand it."

"I can try, where is it?"

"It is back in Rome, of course. In this instance, Mohammed is going to have to come to the mountain." The old man gave a predatory smile; Daniel suddenly didn't feel comfortable with the situation."

Turning to Hammond he said "I don't have any free time coming for a bit, do I General?"

"I'm sorry Eminence" Hammond said, turning to the Cardinal "Dr. Jackson is going to be busy here for a bit."

"But of course" the Cardinal answered "I did not intend for him to leave immediately. It is an open invitation, simply give us twenty four hours notice before your arrival, and we shall have everything ready for you."

Now Daniel was backed into a bit of a corner, his sense of duty warring with his curiosity at what had been found. "Well, it may be as much as a month, but I'll be there, with your permission of course General."

"Of course Dr. Jackson." Hammond turned back to the Cardinal "was there anything else Eminence?"

"No General that was my soul purpose for being here." Looking at Daniel he said "I appreciate this Dr. Jackson, and I eagerly await your call." With that he bowed to both men and Hammond escorted him to the door, where a security team waited to take the old churchman off of the base.

At the door General Hammond turned back to Daniel "what do you make of that?"

"I don't know sir, but it's something big."

"How can you tell?"

"An invitation to the Vatican Archives, that's incredibly rare, especially for someone who is a non-Catholic. Not to mention the fact that I didn't have to petition to get an invite, that and they send a Cardinal to personally invite me, why not just call. No, they want me there and for something that has them rattled."

"Well, just let me know when you're ready to go."

"Thank you sir, but right now I can't think much past the shower I need."

"I've been there Dr. Jackson, dismissed" Hammond said with a chuckle.

The next day he had told his team-mates of the Cardinal's visit. Sam was wishing she could go just to see the original works of Galileo and Copernicus, Teal'C seemed indifferent as usual and Jack was worried.

"It could be a trap Daniel."

"Jack, you've had too many Fruit Loops, why would they want to capture me?"

"Maybe they have just a smidgen of information and want the whole pie."

"We're talking about the Catholic Church here, what would they do, preach at me."

"I don't know" Sam chimed in "maybe they need practice; it has been a while since the inquisition after all."

"Come on" Daniel said "now you're being paranoid."

"Maybe" Jack said, looking thoughtful "but when you do go, I think you'll need an escort."

Daniel started to protest, but Jack just glared at him for a second "humor me Daniel" he said; and Daniel Jackson just nodded in agreement.

Three weeks later, Daniel Jackson made the call that he was free, but that a friend would be coming with him. In less than thirty seconds, two tickets and confirmations were printing out on his office printer, in his and Jack's names. Maybe Jack wasn't being that paranoid after all.

They got off the excruciatingly long flight, and looked for whoever was supposed to meet them. What they didn't expect was that the person would be a very young woman, not the type of person you expect when you're dealing with the Vatican. She was of medium height and willowy with brown hair and sky blue eyes; she was wearing what looked to be a chauffeurs uniform with the cap perched jauntily on her head. Daniel walked up to the young woman "I'm Dr. Jackson" he said, extending his hand.

"Please to meet you" the girl replied and then turning to Jack said "and this must be Colonel O'Neill", she extended her hand again.

"I hope so" Jack replied "I'm wearing his underwear. And you are?"

"Dawn" she said with a bit of a giggle at his joke "follow me gentlemen and we'll collect your things". She headed off through the labyrinth that was Leonardo DaVinci airport. The two men were finding it difficult to keep up with her, despite the fact that both men were significantly larger than her. They finally caught up to her in baggage claim, a little out of breath; she seemed slightly amused at their state.

"I'm sorry" Jack said, sounding a bit perturbed "we didn't catch your name".

She regarded him for a moment and said "my name is Dawn; I had forgotten that the hearing goes as you get older Colonel, I would have spoken up more if I had."

O'Neill's eyes lit up with annoyance 'old, this little twit had just called him old', it was all Daniel could do to keep from laughing out loud at Jack being reprimanded by a girl young enough to be his daughter. "I caught that part, what I didn't catch is your last name."

"That's because I didn't give it" the girl replied promptly "sorry but you know how the whole cloak and dagger crap works."

Both Daniel and Jack nodded. "So what's the plan for the rest of our stay" Daniel asked the girl.

"Well I take you to the your hotel tonight, then tomorrow morning I pick you both up and drop Daniel off at the archives. Then the Colonel and I do the tourist thing until noon, when we get back together for lunch. After that, it's up to you."

"Sounds good" Jack said "where are we staying."

"The hotel Garibaldi, it's a nice local out of the spotlight kind of place. Trust me, it's got a pretty nice location on the Piazza Navona, and it has a great view of the Fountain of the Four Rivers. It's one of the greatest examples of Bernini's work."

"Who the heck's Bernini" Jack asked with a bit of annoyance.

"A sculptor and painter" Dawn answered "better known as Botticeli."

"Still not ringin' any bells" Jack replied, enjoying their guides discomfort at his supposed ignorance. Dawn just shook her head and turned away. Jack was grinning because he had finally rattled their annoying host.

They finally collected their things and headed out to the car with a minimum of talking; but soon both Daniel and Jack were scared for their lives as their young guide negotiated the streets of Rome, where most of the drivers were actually worse than Dawn. After their arrival at the Piazza Navona (Jack considered calling it a miracle), Dawn took the men into the hotel and saw to all the formalities, then turning to the two guests said "you've got reservations at Luciano's a restaurant across the piazza for seven thirty tonight, and the bill has already been taken care of. Good evening gentlemen." Before they could say anything she scooted out the door and was away. Daniel and Jack just looked at each other, neither really sure what to do until the Bellman cleared his throat, signaling that at least he wanted to get the two men to their room. "So what do you think of our guide" Daniel asked once they were alone.

"She's too young."

"What do you mean too young, she seems nice enough, and she is rather pretty."

"I'm just not comfortable around kids."

"You're not comfortable around most people Jack, why should this girl be any different."

"I was never that young" Jack said, almost to himself.

"No" Daniel replied with a smirk "you were younger."

When the colonel turned and gave him 'the look' Daniel just smirked all the more, finally Jack turned away in defeat; "hey Jack you want to go look around before we eat, or just stay in?"

"I'm not much of a tourist; you can go out if you want."

"Nah, I've got some reports to read."

The two men went to dinner and in the morning found their guide waiting for them in the lobby. "Did you have a pleasant evening, gentlemen?"

"It beats the barracks" was all Jack would say.

Without another word, the three of them walked to the car, and soon the two men were being terrified by Roman drivers again. Fifteen minutes later, Daniel had been dropped off at the archives. Dawn turned to Colonel O'Neill "so, what part of Rome do you want to see?"

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment "the Coliseum I suppose and we'll see from there."

"Good choice" Dawn said, and they were off.

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Now that it was just the two of them Jack decided to ask a few questions; unfortunately the traffic situation in Rome meant that the questions would have to wait until they were no longer in peril of their lives. When the car finally came to a stop, Jack started to speak, but Dawn beat him to it. "You want to know how a nice girl like me ended up working for the Vatican, aren't you."

"Well I probably wouldn't have put it quite that way, but yeah."

"My husband works for them, so I kinda got pulled in by default."

"So you do what, field work, muscle, spec ops, what's the term you guys use; and you're mercs right."

"We prefer trouble shooters ourselves, but we weren't hired from the outside, we offered our services and they just cover the expenses. So in the sense that you mean it, we're not mercenaries."

"Aren't you a little young to be doing something like this with your life."

"All I can say is I grew up fast, you had to where I'm from, or you end up dead."

"And what little slice of paradise is that."

"A little town in California, I got out just in time; I met my husband and now I'm here, making a difference."

"Sounds like a plan, now don't you want to know about me."

"Well, the way I figure it, if you want me to know anything beyond what's in your military file, you'll tell me."

"You've read my file!"

"Of course, you've got to remember Colonel, the Vatican has the longest continually operating intelligence unit in the world, just because we work for the pope doesn't mean we can't be sneaky."

"I'll remember that" he said. "Now, show me the Coliseum." And with that, they were off and doing the tourist thing. But Jack kept shooting curious glances at his guide. If the girl was a day over twenty five he'd eat his boots, there was no way anyone that young should be in the position that she was, but the feeling he got from her was one of utmost confidence, almost arrogance. The kind you found in young special forces soldiers, the ones that knew they were the best. Not sure what to make of her, he listened as she talked and tried to riddle out exactly who she was.

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Daniel kept rushing to keep up with the elderly Cardinal because something was always catching his eye and making him pause. He still was having trouble believing that he was here in the Vatican archives, the holy of holies for a historian. "I expected you sooner" a voice said from up ahead.

"Ian" the Cardinal replied "I did not know you would be joining us. We probably would have been here sooner, but it was Dawn that picked up Dr. Jackson."

Ian gave a bit of a chuckle "in that case I'll consider him lucky that he made it here in one piece and I'm sorry about the notification eminence, but I didn't know either until just a bit ago."

Daniel was surprised to see the Cardinal talking to a young man. He looked to be in his mid twenties, was blond haired and slightly built, Daniel was a more imposing physical specimen. But what really surprised Daniel was the deference being paid to this young man by the Cardinal. Obviously the kid had influence, Daniel just wondered how. As he came up to the duo the Cardinal turned and said "Ian, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, he is here to help us. Dr. Jackson, this is Ian, he's here to keep an eye on us."

'Security' Daniel thought, that made sense, and the kid must be some higher ups, little brother or nephew or something. "A pleasure to meet you" Daniel said, extending his hand.

"Likewise" Ian said, returning his grip. "Now to business, eminence; if you would explain to our guest why he is here."

"Certainly" the Cardinal said "we were doing some routine restoration on a cache of scrolls when we discovered a hidden compartment in their container. We prefer to keep what we find in the original holder, so that we can gain contextual clues if necessary. We found this hidden scroll and translated it, however, there were some aspects of it that we were not familiar with, and consequently we had to look outside for help. Your name was at the top of our list. We would like for you to translate this scroll yourself in order to confirm what we already know and enlighten us about what we don't."

"Here and now?"

"If you please" the Cardinal replied indicating a table chairs that had been set up nearby "it is short and the language should present no problem."

"Well" Daniel said "let's get started."

Ian unrolled the scroll on a table, and Daniel got started.

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After about an hour and a half that was in no way dull, Daniel felt that he had the translation done, but some of the questions that the scroll raised were troubling. "OK" Daniel said "from what I gather, some priests and warriors that survived the sacking of Solomon's Temple followed the victorious Egyptian army, and then stole one of the artifacts that they had removed. Then they took it through 'the heathen god's eye' and none that took it returned."

"That is what we understand as well, were you able to determine what artifact they wanted back so badly?"

"It was simply identified as 'The vessel of God's word', whatever that is."

"Could you make a guess at what that might be?"

"Off hand, I'd say it's most likely the 'Ark of the Covenant'."

"That was our conclusion as well, and the 'heathen god's eye', any ideas?"

"One or two, but I want to talk to a couple of people first."

"That is acceptable, and what do you make of these five markings on the scroll, they seem to be of Egyptian origin, even though the scroll is written in an ancient form of Hebrew."

Daniel could tell that they had come to the crux of the matter. Of course he recognized them they were the same markings found on the Stargate. His problem was twofold, one, he couldn't tell these men about the Stargate, two there were only five markings, you needed six for an address, so the markings were tantalizing, but at the moment, useless. "They are a bit familiar" he finally said.

"Very much like the ones found on a certain artifact that may or may not allow people to travel about the universe" the Cardinal asked with a predatory smile. "It is my understanding; however, that six symbols are needed to travel, and there are only five here."

Daniel recoiled in surprise, they knew, they knew about the Stargate, but how was that possible. "Uhh, not sure what you're talking about" he managed to stammer out.

"Don't worry Dr. Jackson" Ian swiftly cut in "you must remember that the Vatican has the oldest operational intelligence bureau in the world. We know some of the basics, but no specifics, and we aren't about to question you about them."

Daniel calmed down a bit at the youth's words, but he certainly didn't relax entirely. "So what now?"

"We have made a copy of the scroll" the Cardinal said "you can return to Colorado and allow your superiors to decide what is to be done, meanwhile if you could work on possibly determining what the last symbol is, that would be appreciated. After all, you are much more familiar with them than we are."

"And assuming your intelligence is correct, and such a device exists, what would you want to do?"

"Once the last symbol is determined, they we would like you to go retrieve it, with two of our people of course."

Daniel winced, he could think of about two thousand people who would directly be against something like that, not to mention going off world just to retrieve a religious artifact, even if it was a bit famous. "Well you've certainly made my life just a bit more complicated. I make no promises about the trip, but I will definitely work on finding the last symbol."

"That is all we can ask" the Cardinal said with another of his predatory smiles. "Now Ian will escort you to the entrance and see that you receive the copy before you leave."

"Thank you sir" Daniel said, and with that he turned and followed the young man out of the archives, it had been quite a visit.

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Dawn picked up Daniel and Ian, the two SG1 members were surprised when the two young people kissed, but both men knew what it was like to love someone you worked with.

"Let's head to Piazza San Marco for lunch" Ian instructed and Dawn took off into Rome's abysmal traffic. They stopped at an outdoor café, and Jack told Daniel about what he had seen that morning. Daniel nodded automatically, his mind a million miles away from the conversation. Jack noticed his colleague's distance, so he started talking to Ian. It turned out that the kid was a Carolina Hurricanes fan; hey, kid or not the guy liked the right sport. The talk drifted around hockey, who was the best of all time at different positions and the like. Even Dawn was able to add a bit to the conversation, since she had grown up following the LA Kings, and had watched a lot of their games with both Spike and Xander; it was one of the only things the two seemed to agree on. As the waiter finally brought lunch, Jack noticed Ian tense for a moment and then relax, but with a cynical little grin on his face.

"Something the matter there kiddo?"

"You two are quite popular; you've got two different groups shadowing you. One's Russian and the other American. The Russian doesn't surprise me, but an American surveillance team, did one of you piss off a girlfriend or something at home?"

"Not that I'm aware of" Jack answered "and how do you know it's an American anyway?"

"I recognize the guy" Ian answered "his name is Steve Boyle; we don't worry about him much because he's an idiot. He's got a camera, but I'd be willing to bet that there's no film in it. The Russian is a guy named Dragunov, he's their varsity here, so you've got some high level attention."

"Nice to be popular I guess" Daniel said with a grimace.

Dawn looked at the two men "how do you want to play this, let em follow or give em the brush off?"

Jack got a bit of a sadistic gleam in his eye "could we have a chat with Mr. Boyle and find out who's so interested in us?"

Ian and Dawn exchanged looks for a second, then turning to the two SG1 men she said "sure, just sit tight and we'll be back in a bit." The two young people got up and headed out of the piazza, away from the two that were shadowing them.

"Daniel spoke up, looking confused "I'm no expert, but aren't they supposed to go the other way?"

Jack just shrugged, almost as confused as the linguist.

He became even more confused when Ian suddenly appeared in the crowd behind the guy they had identified as Boyle. He then noticed that Dawn was already whispering in the Russian's ear. He looked back to see Ian 'persuade' Mr. Boyle to come over for a chat. How the heck had they gotten there in that small amount of time? Dawn joined them while watching the Russian head off, blending quickly into the crowd. Jack noted the rather grim looks on the two youngster's faces.

"So Steve" Ian said with a false smile "what brings you out on a day like this?"

"Just enjoying the lunch and the scenery when you landed on me."

"Really" Dawn said "and the fact that you followed me all morning was sheer coincidence?"

"Would you believe me if I said yes?"

The two operatives shook their heads. "I didn't think so" Steve replied.

Steve Boyle sighed and weighed his options, despite the fact that he wasn't the brightest light in the marquee, he wasn't an idiot either. He recognized the pair of Vatican operatives and knew that they had a reputation for both efficiency and honesty. The latter was something very unusual in his line of work. He knew that if he was straight with them that he'd probably learn as much of the truth as he was likely to get, and with a lot less hassle. He also knew that the pair had made a name for themselves as people it was unwise to piss off, and he knew that lying to them was a quick way to do that. With that in mind, he laid a few of his cards out.

"Some Senator has some real wood for your two guests and wanted them tailed while they were here. Apparently he has a few trust issues to work out and when they were flown out here by the Vatican he kinda went ape-shit wanting to know what they were up to." Turning to Jack and Daniel he said "best guess is he's looking for a reason to shut down whatever it is you're working on or he's looking for some leverage to use on you. Either way, the guy's an asshole, so no one at the shop is gonna be pissed at me for sicking up the info; I know I wont loose any sleep over it."

Jack looked like he was contemplating the pros and cons of going postal, while Daniel looked a bit less likely to break things, it was clear that he was just as angry. Swiftly Ian jumped in, before things could break down.

"No big deal there" Ian said "we found a scroll that had been hidden for a while and needed Dr. Jackson's help with some tricky translation. I mean we've got the best there are in Latin and Greek and nearly top of the mark in Hebrew, but we're pretty weak in Egyptian, which is Dr. Jackson's specialty."

"So what was this scroll about" Steve asked, curiosity being a common trait in intelligence operatives.

"Commentary on the sacking of Solomon's Temple by a Pharaoh, pretty neat stuff actually. Now they spend the rest of the day with us seeing Rome, then they fly home tomorrow; end of story."

Steve just nodded and started to get up, when Dawn chimed in.

"And please tell Senator Kinsey that snooping around the Vatican is not the wisest of choices."

Boyle jumped liked he'd been goosed when Dawn indicated she'd known who had made the request, but he really couldn't ask how she knew that, so he took another tack "are you threatening a US Senator?"

"Nope" Dawn answered "but the Senator needs to think about what kind of afterlife he wants, screwing around with the folks wired to the big guy isn't the best way to ensure a happy one."

Boyle knew that there was a serious threat behind all the sweet talk, he would advise the Senator on the consequences of pissing off the Vatican. He nodded at the smiling young girl and headed off to make his report.

"How did you know it was Senator Kinsey" Jack asked once the man was well and truly away.

"It's our job to keep tabs on threats, both to us and to the people with us, the Senator is a threat to you and your colleagues, so we did a little digging." She said the last with a note of finality, cutting off any more questions that Jack might have had. "Now what do you two want to see next?"

"Just a second" Jack said "how the heck did you get behind them so fast?"

"Tunnels" Dawn answered "as Dr. Jackson could tell you, Rome is riddled with tunnels, knowing where the entrances and exits are is the tricky part, but if you do then you can sneak up on practically anyone anywhere."

"Oh" Jack said "that actually makes sense."

The four of them left the café and did the tourist thing for the rest of the day. They ended up seeing the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's as well as the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. It was a pleasant day and even Jack seemed impressed, but through it all, Daniel had this growing conviction that he had seen these two people before. It was a ridiculous notion, but one he couldn't seem to shake.

Finally at dinner he broke down and asked the pair if they had met before.

"Not that I recall Daniel" Dawn answered him.

"What kind of music do you listen to" Ian asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"A little bit of everything" Daniel answered, wondering where this was going.

"You ever hear of a group called the 'Faithful Remnants'?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I've got their first album."

"That's probably it" Dawn replied "Take a good look at the back and you'll see the both of us."

"What, you posed for the cover or something?"

"No, we played on the album, and every one since then; but I gotta say, the first was my favorite."

"Even cutting 'Anne' at three AM" Ian said with a grin.

"Well, that part did suck" Dawn said with a pout "but the result was incredible."

"True enough" Ian conceded.

"So how do you go from being musicians to working security for the Vatican" Jack asked.

At the same time Daniel asked "why three AM"?

Ian answered Daniel's question first "well, you've heard the song, Faith just couldn't seem to get the right sound, so she woke everyone up in the middle of the night so we'd be more emotional and less cerebral, whatever she did worked because that was the greatest take we ever did, except the live version of course."

Dawn looked at Jack "we just happened to know most of the band and they needed our help for a while. So we took some time and helped them out, now we're back at our first and primary job."

"I see, so working on a Grammy award winning album was just a lark?"

"Like I said, working on the album was just part of helping out a friend, we had no idea it was gonna be as big as it was."

The conversation drifted after that, and after a nice quiet dinner, the two Vatican operatives escorted the SG1 men back to the hotel Garibaldi. Then they drove off into the night. When they got back to their room Jack turned to Daniel and asked "so what's really up with this scroll thing?"

Daniel thought for a second and whispered "how about I tell you when I'm sure that no one else is listening."

Jack wasn't the most patient man in the world, but he did know good sense when he heard it; reluctantly he nodded and the two went to sleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As Dawn snuggled into his chest, Ian said "he almost remembered, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but you sidetracked him nicely."

"He was getting close, so I took a shot, I'm just glad it worked.

"Me too"

The December after Xander's wedding, they had been in Colorado, helping a slayer recover from the murder of her watcher and the discomfort of breaking in a new one. The two of them had been patrolling with Dierdra, when they had noticed a group of three vamps stalking a single man. The three of them had jumped the three vamps and were making short work of them when the victim, came back to help. He took a heavy shot to the jaw from a vamp and slumped down, right before Dierdra's stake slammed home and dusted his assailant. Ian and Dawn had faded into the background, hanging back as Dierdra woke him up and escorted him home. The two had hoped that Dr. Jackson wouldn't remember the encounter, but now it was clear that he had. Ian hoped that if they worked together again that any remaining feelings of recognition would be written off to the album, but he knew that they were dealing with a very intelligent man. Realizing that he was needlessly borrowing trouble, he drifted off to sleep.


	2. The Dominos Tumble

GATE CRASHER'S – CHAPTER 2

"Now that we're all here, what was Rome all about Daniel?"

"Well, it seems that the archivists found a scroll that tells quite a story. It seems that aftera Pharaoh sacked Solomon's temple,theEgyptiansremoved several articles of historical significance, including the 'vessel of the word'. Apparently the remaining priests and temple guards shadowed the army, and in a bold move stole the article back, but since they were in Egypt, they had no way of getting back to Israel, so they took it through the 'Eye of the Heathen God'."

"The Stargate, in other words"

"Exactly, and on the scroll are five symbols, all of which are on the Stargate."

"Only five" Sam asked "why wouldn't they put the last one on there?"

"I don't know the theory is that it's hidden or encoded in some way, both the archivists and I are going to work on it."

"And if we figure it out" Jack asked.

"Then they want us to go get it."

"You said it was the 'vessel of the word', what exactly is that" Sam asked.

Daniel had been dreading this question, a lot "we believe it signifies the Ark of the Covenant."

"You've got to be kidding, please tell me you're kidding Daniel" Jack looked like he was going to stroke out at any second.

"No, I'm serious, and that's not all."

"What else could make this better" Jack asked, his voice defining sarcasm.

"When, if, we go; they want to send two of their people with us."

"You can't be serious Dr. Jackson" General Hammond spoke at last "they want to send civilians through the Stargate".

"That's what they want, and I can understand why, an article of that historic significance, a record of God speaking directly to a person; in terms of religion it doesn't get much bigger than that. Of course the church is going to want to keep it out of civilian and military hands."

"I find myself confused" Teal'c commented "how did they know such a journey would be necessary. Did you inform them of the Stargate's existence Daniel Jackson?"

"Well no, it seems that they already know about the Stargate."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but they did, and they didn't press for information so I've got to assume that they already know everything they need to."

"So in addition to all the usual stuff we have to deal with, now you're telling us that there's a leak somewhere, and they've told the Catholic Church all about us, we have to figure out a symbol hidden on a scroll over two thousand years old, and then determine if we are gonna Indiana Jones something with tourists along for the ride. Have I left anything out" Jack huffed.

"No" Daniel said "that's pretty much it."

"Good" Jack said "I hate the unexpected."

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Just as the sun was coming up, two people were slogging through Indonesia's rainforest, neither of them were happy about it either.

"Why does it have to always be somewhere so nasty, couldn't they be on the plains or in a nice, normal, dry, forest, why is it always the jungle or mountains or caves or desert?"

"You mean like 'Demon House on the Prairie', probably because everyone would know about it then, it has to be nasty just to keep the normal people away. Plus, I think they like nasty stuff like this. Seriously, how many demons that live in the real world are garbage men or sewer workers, stuff like that?"

"Good point I suppose; are we there yet?"

"You know the answer to that as well as me, but we are close."

"Do you think the Stargate people will let us tag along?"

"Probably, especially once they dig into the stories about the Ark, they'll want us along as a safety valve."

"Will they make us go through that ridiculous training?"

"Probably, they'll want to prove that we're out of our depth, that way we'll just shut up and let them do it without interference."

"Should we act inept then?"

"No, but maybe we shouldn't go full tilt either."

"I can live with that."

"So what is it that Giles said is going on?"

"It's not an end of the world ritual, but it should make these things darn near impossible to kill."

"Well that's not good, and they need human sacrifices to do it?"

"Yeah"

"So, how do you want to play this? Do we just stop the sacrifices and leave them be, or burn the damn thing down."

"The first I think, the stars won't be in the right alignment for another 35,000 years, so not a big threat after today."

"So you decoy and I snatch?"

"Well you are faster than me, so sure."

"OK, here's my pistol and reloads, now don't get dead."

"You either, I love you Bella Alba."

"I love you too Mi Cuore."

Then the two of them went to work.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It had been two weeks since Daniel and Jack's trip to Rome, and SG1 had just gotten back from P4W-X33, a planet that was the source of dispute between two of the Goauld. The population had been practically exterminated, but they had found a few survivors. Now the question was to help them, relocate them or ignore them; Daniel was glad it wasn't his decision to make. Once back, he had showered and slept, and now he was relaxing. Well anyone else would have called it intense research, but he found it relaxing. He was currently sitting in the cafeteria looking into the mythology surrounding the Ark of the Covenant, and honestly what he was finding was scary as hell.

"What's so engrossing Daniel" Sam asked from behind him.

"I was researching the 'item' we discussed a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm not sure we should go get it even if we're able to figure out where it is."

"Why not?"

"Because if only half of what I'm reading is partially true, 'It' makes a Hydrogen Bomb look like a popgun. Here, take a look at this" he said, sliding the book over to the Major.

She read for a moment, the skeptical look on her face being replaced by one of fear. "This can't be right, there's no way this could be true."

"Do you really want to take that chance, what if even a bit of it is true, huh; what then."

"Well according to this we'd be dead after just touching the thing, not to mention what it could do if we knew how to activate it."

"Exactly, but the alternative is to leave something this powerful laying around and hope that some System Lord doesn't find it."

"So what you're saying is that it's too dangerous for us to get, but it's too dangerous to leave where it is. So what do we do?"

"I think we need the two people from the Vatican, they would be the ones that know the most about this thing, what it does and how to handle it. If we ever figure out where this thing is we need to get it, and we'll need them to help us get it."

"Jack and Hammond are gonna love that."

"I know, but I don't see any alternative."

Sam noticed a CD case that was in with all of the books and papers her friend was carrying. "Is this the CD they helped cut."

He held it up; it was his copy of 'Angels of Light and Darkness' by the Faithful Remnants. "Yeah, these are the two kids that escorted us around Rome" he said this while indicating two of the people on the back.

"They look young" was all she said.

"True, but you want to see something weird, take a look at the credits section."

Sam opened the case up and looked at the insert "what am I looking for?"

"Look at the names."

"OK, Ian, Janice, Dawn, Buffy, Clem Oz, Faith, Whistler; so?"

"No last names, not for them or for anyone credited, and when we were in Rome, none of their papers had a last name listed."

"So you think all of these people work for the Vatican?"

"No, I just think its weird is all. And you know what else is weird, I still feel like I've seen them somewhere else, but I just can't place them" he shook his head in frustration.

"Well, weirdness aside, when are you going to tell Hammond your conclusions about us needing their help?"

"When we figure out the last symbol, everything's moot until then."

"Well, let's take a look at this scroll then" Sam said with a smile.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They were flying back to Rome on a plane. It sounds like a common thing, but for the two of them it was anything but common. It was time off the clock, and that was why Dawn loved it. On the plane there would be no interruptions, no sudden calls; it was a guarantee that nothing would interrupt their time together. That was the only complaint that Dawn had about their relationship, the lack of uninterrupted time together. Sure, they were almost together constantly, but to have some time where they weren't on some mission or another was rare, and therefore precious to her. On the flight, they talked, not about consequential things, just chatted as though they were just friends that had bumped into one another. Even the in-flight movie and a nearly inedible meal didn't put a damper on either their conversation or their mood. Finally landing in Rome, they made it back to their apartment without losing too many clothes and eventually spent the night quietly in each others arms. The next morning they slept in late and called the Cardinal, to see if any progress had been made in finding the last symbol. Sadly, they were still on square one; but with that business out of the way, they day was free before them. They were having breakfast in a little open air bistro on the Piazza della Rotunda when Dawn's phone rang; this was not a good thing. The only people that had the number were Buffy, Faith and Giles, so any calls were pretty important, and usually involved a lot of fighting. Tentatively, she answered "hello".

"Dawn, where are you two?"

"Rome, we just got in last night, what's the what?"

"We've got a situation in Berlin, we think a slayer might have been turned, we're going but we could use your help, can you two be there?"

"Ian can find out and we'll get back to you in about half an hour, OK?"

"Yeah, no problem from this end, and thanks Dawnie."

"Hey, what are sisters for. I'll be back soon."

"OK, bye"

"Bye Buffy"

She hung up the phone and turned to her partner "they think a slayer may have been turned in Berlin, they're going in but could use a bit of firepower, can we help?"

Ian looked back at his wife and thought for a moment "let's finish up and head back to the apartment, I'll make the call from there."

"Sounds like a plan" Dawn replied, and they finished their breakfast as though nothing was happening. They strolled hand in hand back to their apartment and walked up. As soon as the door was closed Ian dropped down into a basic lotus position and closed his eyes, he was contacting the Archangels to see if he would be permitted to assist the slayers.

"We have been requested to help" he asked "may we?"

He waited, and finally Michael answered back "you may."

"Can she be saved?"

"No, her soul is no more; she willingly gave it up and now her place is assured."

"It cannot be restored?"

"If it was taken from her unwillingly, it could be, but she gave it up; it is true that she was tricked, but ultimately it was her choice."

"I will have to use Gabriel's dagger, won't I?"

"That will be likely."

Ian sagged, aware of what he would probably have to do "thank you" he said to the Archangel.

"Take care little brother" his/her voice answered back "you will be needed elsewhere soon."

"We will" he answered and broke the connection.

"So" Dawn asked him.

"We're off to Berlin" he replied "but the others won't like what I have to say."

"And what is that?"

"That this is a straight kill, not a capture" and he proceeded to tell her what Michael had said.

"Buffy is gonna go ballistic when you tell her that, you know that don't you."

"Yeah, I know it; but it has to be done."

"Well, let me call her and then we'll get going."

Dawn called her sister back and found out that the group of slayers would be in Berlin in an hour, so they got their weapons together and caught the 'express' to Berlin.

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They were waiting at the private hangar as the jet with the slayers group on it. They watched as Buffy, Faith, Jenn (who was both a slayer and a witch), Rona, Vi, Xander and Giles.

"So" Dawn asked "what can you tell us?"

"Not much" Giles replied "we lost contact with Ingrid's watcher almost a week ago. We sent another slayer and her watcher to investigate and he was killed and she was badly beaten, but escaped. In a moment of lucidity, she told us that Ingrid had been turned, and so we came here."

"Are you here to capture or kill her" Ian asked.

"Well, we'd like to capture her if possible and try to restore her soul."

"That's not gonna be possible" Ian replied. He didn't want to tell them this, but allowing them to try and just capture the rogue would only get them hurt or killed.

"How do you know that" Buffy asked a bit angry at being told what to do.

"Because she willingly gave her soul up, she wanted to be sired. She wasn't tortured or forced, she willingly gave it up, and there's no coming back from that."

The rest of the group was silent, thinking about what Ian had just revealed. "Remarkable" Giles said "and you know this how?"

"Michael" Ian replied.

"You absolutely sure about this Goldilocks" Faith asked, emotion making her voice huskier than usual "there's no way whatsoever to pull her back."

"I wish to God there was Faith, but she's made her choice, true she was probably tricked into it, but she made it just the same. Now she has to face the consequences."

Xander had broken away from the group, now he walked back and said "Will should be here soon."

Dawn understood instantly that Will had been back with the coven researching ways to restore the girl's soul, once that was not a possibility, they wanted her here.

Both Dawn and Ian felt the power flare and soon Willow was standing with them, looking a little flustered. She immediately rounded on Ian "you're sure there's nothing we can do?"

"Sadly yes, I'm sure."

"Any idea how it happened" Buffy asked.

"She must have wanted it to occur" Giles answered "its part what makes a slayer a slayer, if a vampire tries to turn a slayer and the slayer is unwilling, then she simply dies without being turned."

"Why would a slayer want to be a vampire" Jenn asked.

"Best guess is some vamp pulled an Angel and convinced her it was some forever love kind of thing" Buffy said "by the time she found out the truth it was too late."

"Enough chit-chat" Faith said "let's find her and dust her and get the heck out of here."

"Sounds like a plan" Xander said "we one group or we split up?"

"Two teams I think" Giles said "Buffy, you take Faith, Jenn, Willow and Xander and search the various cemeteries for a clue as to where they are; I will go with Ian, Dawn, Rona and Vi and we will check out a couple of demon bars I know of and see what we can find. Whichever group finds them first, contact the other and we'll hit them as one group, agreed."

Everyone agreed to Giles plan and they set off. As they were making their way downtown, Giles sidled up to Ian and said "when the time comes . . . . ."

"I'll take care of it, if you don't or can't" Ian said "and I understand your reasons". None of the slayers would be able to stand killing one of their own, Willow wouldn't for other reasons. Xander and Dawn would be able to, but it would cost them a lot; no, Ian and Giles were the true killers in the group, the ones willing to take the pain so that others would not have to.

Giles just nodded at the young man, and went back to lead the way.

They struck pay dirt at the first demon bar they came to, not surprisingly called 'Holle' which is German for Hell. Ian had masked his essence on the way there, although the slayers were easily detectable, but once he stepped inside, he let his angelic self out. The result was inspirational, most of the demons bolting for the exits at inhuman speeds. A few remained behind; Dawn figured that they were too drunk, too stupid, or looking to make a reputation. Leaving the girls to cover them, Ian and Giles walked up to the bar. Giles handled the 'questions' by letting Ripper come out to play a bit. By the time he and the bartender were done, they knew the location of every major vampire nest in the city; including the one they wanted. Ian gave Dawn the address and she pulled out her cell phone and called her sister. She asked if Will could do a spell to mask their essences so the vamps would have no warning. There were a few moments of silence while Buffy was talking to Willow, then she came back and said it would be done in less than five minutes. Agreeing to meet in front of the nest in fifteen, they sisters hung up. The five hunters left the bar and went to meet up with the other half of their group.

The plan was pretty basic; Ian, Dawn and Jenn went in the back, Rona, Vi and Faith went in the roof, and the Scoobies went through the front door. Once the groups were in, they realized that someone had been busy, because there were a lot of vampires. The three teams were working pretty steadily through them, Ian and Dawn having the easiest time of it because they were used to fighting much tougher demons, and they all seemed to arrive at the central room at the same time. There sat Ingrid, young and blond and beautiful, and next to her was a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Xander. He was young, dark and muscular, with wavy black hair. There were also about twenty other minion vamps with them, guarding their king and queen.

Without much of a pause, the groups attacked. The minions were dropping pretty quickly when the boy/leader went after the group he thought was most susceptible to him, Rona and Vi. He figured that one attractive slayer had already succumbed to his charms, why not two more. He was shocked when they attacked him without hesitation, and even more shocked when Vi staked him without blinking. Had he known that the two girls were a couple, he might have made his play for Jenn or Faith, but he didn't know and now he was dust. At the sight of him exploding into nothingness, Ingrid went berserk. She attacked Rona and Vi with an almost unbelievable fury; rendering both girls unconscious in less than ten seconds. She was then assaulted by both Buffy and Faith. Ingrid was holding her own, actually she was doing a little too well, it was as though her strength had been multiplied by being turned instead of the vamp strength and slayer strength being added together. Both of the chosen two were getting in some good licks, but they were taking them as well. Ian could see that despite everything, they were holding back; they still thought of her as a slayer, as someone they had failed, not as a soulless killing machine. Realizing that one or both of them would be hurt badly before the vamp/slayer was dusted; Ian did what he felt he had to do. Slipping in between Buffy and Faith, he ducked a punch with a move that would have made a snake gape in disbelief, then rammed Gabriel's dagger into her chest. Her back arched in agony for an instant, then she turned into a gray statue and this exploded into dust as the demonic force controlling the body dissipated. Then there was silence. Dawn grabbed Ian, and together they healed as much of the damage as they could, after all that was what they did.

As they were leaving, Ian took notice of a pentagram that had been scrawled onto one of the walls. He looked at it for a second, and then it hit him, the sixth symbol, he knew where it was. Smiling secretly at Dawn, they headed out with the rest of the group. Neither Buffy nor Faith would speak to him after they left the building that the vamps had been using. Once they were a block away Xander pulled out a little transmitter and pushed a button. The explosion rocked the buildings for blocks, but ultimately only one structure was destroyed, and it was the one they wanted gone.

"Soldier Boy memories or did you learn that on your own" Ian asked his friend.

"A little bit of both actually, it started out as memories, but I got interested so now I'm learning about this stuff on my own."

"Cool, so that was C4 or something like it?"

"Just my home-made version of the stuff. It's really not that tough to make once you have the recipe."

"Good to know Xander" I replied "and all this time I thought Willow was the chemist of the crew."

"You know me" Xander quipped "I'm just full of surprises."

Ian looked around as his conversation with Xander wound down. They (except Dawn and Giles) were all giving him the fish eye. Definitely not in the mood to deal with it, Ian decided that removing himself from the situation was probably best. So taking Dawn's hand he said "it's been fun guys, but we've kinda got something already on a front burner, so we need to leave". Then before anyone could respond or protest, he concentrated on Rome, and when he opened his eyes, that's where they were.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Dawn stepped back from Ian and gave him a nasty glare "why the quick goodbye"?

"No one was really happy with the fact that I capped the vamp/slayer, so rather than force them to think about it while I was around I left."

"I could tell they were upset, but you should have stayed to explain it to them."

"And tell them what 'you guys weren't trying so I had to do your dirty work', no Bella Alba, I don't think they were ready to hear that. Nor would I ever want them to hear that, they were having a tough time working through the guilt of having the girl turned in the first place."

"So you decided to become the focus of their anger" Dawn said; a spark of pride in her voice.

"It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Now they'll have time to heal. Besides, I had another reason for hurrying back."

Her eyes grew inquisitive "and what might that be Mi Cuore"?

"Here's a copy of the scroll, do you remember how we noticed that some of the letters in the middle were poorly done, well what if it was intentional. Watch" and with a pencil he quickly connected the symbols, creating a five point star "now look at the middle 'the eye of the heathen god' as the scroll put it."

When Dawn looked at the pentagon in the middle she could vaguely make something out, but then, like an optical illusion, a symbol jumped out at her, "that's it" she said, and flung her arms around her husband. "Now all we need to do is get this to Colorado and remind them of their promise."

"True, but they won't be happy about us coming along, remember that; they're going to look for excuses to leave us behind."

"I know, but like you said, they'll realize that they need us, so they're stuck with us."


	3. Getting to Know You

GATE CRASHERS – CHAPTER 3

Daniel was in the process of recovering from the upgrade that he had gotten from the Tok-Ra when the message came through. It was a pentagram and the message 'through the eye of the heathen god' written in Attic Greek. The point of origin simply said 'Vatican City'. He looked at the message for a second, then he knew the answer. Rushing over to his copy of the scroll, he sketched in the pentagram and looked at the middle. He rotated the image, and eventually a symbol jumped out at him, a symbol he recognized from the Stargate, here was number six. All thoughts of relaxing for a few days left him as he gathered his materials and hurried to General Hammond's office.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So we have all the symbols needed, do we really need to take Hansel and Gretel with us?"

"I told you Jack, we are dealing with too many unknowns with this thing, bringing them along takes care of a lot of that."

"That I understand Daniel, but does it have to be those two?"

Daniel looked confused for a moment "what's the problem with them Jack, they seem competent enough."

"Yeah, with stuff here on earth, but there's no way kids that young could deal with what we do on a regular basis."

"How about this" Sam jumped in "run them through some training, and when they don't cut it, ask for replacements. That way we're not rejecting them outright, so no one is offended. And since there's no time constraint on this mission, we can afford to wait and make sure we get someone we can work with."

"Fine, but I want it on the record somewhere that I don't like this."

"I appreciate your position Jack" General Hammond said "but the Pope called the President about this, and was quite forceful, this is going to happen whether you want it to or not. Now as my senior team, I'd prefer you to take this one, but if you don't think you can, I can find another team."

Jack threw up his hands in despair "fine General, I'll play nice with the kiddies, but don't expect me to be easy on them."

With a bit of a gleam in his eye, Hammond said "I'd be disappointed if you did Jack."

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The guard had been told to expect some VIP's today, so he had made sure to wear his dress uniform and gave everything an extra bit of shine. He was wondering who the VIP's were and where they were from when an old Harley pulled up to his gate. The guard, whose name was Phil, loved the bike. His brother had known a couple of guys in a bike club back in the 70's and Phil had loved it when they came around, he was always trying to cage rides off of them and could fondly remember each one. He got out, admiring the '65 soft tail; the bike was in immaculate condition. The guy was wearing a white helmet with gold wings on it, as he got off the Harley, on the back of his jacket Phil could see a skeleton with a white top hat, around it were the words 'The White Hats MC' and the affiliate cities: Rome, Edinburgh, Devon, Tokyo, LA, Cleveland, Cairo, and Mondoniedo; Phil had no idea where that last one was, and he was surprised at all the international locations. His last surprise was when he noticed the front of the guys jacket, it said 'Prez Ian' on it; from his experience, the head of a motorcycle club was the toughest mother of the lot, this was a scrawny kid that couldn't have been a day over twenty five. The girl behind him wore a matching jacket, but her helmet was white with a skeleton key on it and her jacket just said Dawn on it. The guard was getting ready to chew the kids out when the guy took off his helmet and stuck out his hand and said "hey, I'm Ian, I've got an appointment to see General Hammond".

The guard froze, this was it, this was the VIPs he had been waiting for, these kids. "Uhmm, just a moment please" he went back to the house and checked his list, this really was them. He shook his head; it was amazing who they were letting in these days. He walked back to the two kids standing there "I'll need to see your ID's please".

They each pulled out a small folder and passed them to the guard. He took a look, then a double take because there was only one name on each of the ID's. The two people were simply identified as Ian and Dawn, and that they were special envoys from the Vatican. The guard did another double take at that, these two were from the Vatican, he would have expected priests or something like that, not a couple of twenty something hoodlum wanna-bes. Unfortunately for him, they checked out. He walked back out and handed them their IDs "you can head on in; there's a lot where you can park your bike about a quarter of a mile in; it'll be safe there and Dr. Jackson should be there to meet you."

"Thanks" the kids said, as they got on their bike and headed on into the compound. The guard just shook his head as he watched them leave; he had gotten all spiffy for them, what a waste.

Ian and Dawn parked and unloaded the saddle bags; they did travel light after all and didn't need much. Their weapons were stowed in their coats, and they had a couple of changes of clothing and toiletries. They looked around and saw a familiar face headed their way "Daniel, how are you doing" Dawn called out.

"I'm good, you two, how was your trip in?"

"Not bad, it was kind of nice to take our time getting here, so where do we go and who do we need to see?"

"Well, I'm here to take you to see General Hammond, we'll see after that."

"Then lead on MacDuff" Dawn said with a grin, and they followed Daniel down into the heart of SGC.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

To say that General Hammond was less than impressed would be an understatement of colossal proportions. Like the guard, he had been expecting someone like a Special Forces soldier and the girl to be some sort of intel specialist, not a couple of kids. He had dismissed Jack's less than glowing descriptions as Jack just being Jack, now he thought that Jack had given the two way too much credit. "Well have a seat you two, and we'll get started". SG1 was surprised at the General's ignoring of protocol, but no one said anything.

"Excuse me General" the girl said "I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced".

"My apologies Dawn" the General said "you of course remember Dr. Jackson and Colonel O'Neill, this is Major Carter" he indicated a pretty blonde "and Teal'c."

"A pleasure to meet you both" Dawn said. "My name is Dawn and this is Ian, we are special envoys for the Vatican. We are what you would call 'trouble shooters' and are able to take care of a wide variety of situations. Now, I assume you all know why we are here?"

"Not quite" O'Neill cut in "we know why we are here; we're just not sure why you are."

"We are here" Ian replied "because none of you could properly deal with the Ark. In order for it to be retrieved, you will need our help. I realize that most of you are less than thrilled by this, but I assure you that both Dawn and I are fully capable of handling anything you could throw at us." This last was delivered as a bit of a challenge.

Sam smirked to herself, this was just the kind of opening that they had been hoping for and the kid had fallen right into it. Now they would run them through a bit of training and when the two failed they could be replaced.

"Really" Jack drawled out "working for the church do either of you even know how to shoot a gun?"

Just as the question left Jack's lips, Daniel saw a blur of motion. For his part Jack didn't see anything, it seemed as though the instant the question was asked, he was looking down what appeared to be a railway tunnel. He realized it was the barrel of a revolver, and in addition to being shocked at the speed of its appearance he was also surprised that it had been brought in despite the security measures in place. As soon as Ian had moved, Dawn had leapt backwards out of her chair and drawn her own revolver to cover the room,

Jack looked up from the barrel to meet a pair of incredibly pale and, at the moment, very cold eyes. "I think we both can manage" Ian said with a smirk.

He then backed of a bit and reversed the pistol and handed it to O'Neill, meanwhile Dawn's pistol had disappeared and she was once more in her seat.

"Everybody calm down" Hammond roared "how the heck did you manage to get those things in here" he asked Ian and Dawn.

"It's the lining of our jackets, the material bends X-rays around whatever is there, hiding whatever you want. Actually its standard Vatican issue, a couple of Jesuits came up with it a few years ago."

Jack O'Neill hadn't been listening to anything that was being said, he was looking at the gun in his hand, and recalling how it had gotten there. When Dawn finished her explanation, he looked over at Ian and asked "do you think it was wise, putting a gun in my face, and then handing it to me?"

"I gotta say I'm not that worried Colonel."

"Why, you think I won't shoot you?"

"Oh, I'm sure that under the right circumstances you wouldn't hesitate, but I don't think that these circumstances warrant that kind of a response."

"That's quite an assumption, tell me; why did you do it?"

"You and these other people were making rather rude assumptions, I thought a physical demonstration would shock you all out of that mind set."

"I see" the Colonel said, cocking the pistol and pointing it at Ian "and how do you feel about that demonstration now?"

"I'm pretty comfortable with it."

"I could shoot you right now."

"Not with that gun you couldn't."

"What are you talking about, I can feel the weight of the bullets, this thing is loaded."

"True, but that's an 1863 Colt Navy Revolver, it's a black powder gun and won't shoot without the percussion caps; these caps that are currently in my hand." Ian opened his hand to reveal a half dozen small brass caps. "So feel free to pull the trigger, nothing will happen."

Jack just gave the younger man a frosty smile "you're an arrogant punk aren't you" he said "I like that" and he slid the pistol back to the younger man.

"Not without a bit of justification" Ian answered as the pistol disappeared once more into his jacket with a speed that was difficult to follow. Meanwhile Ian and Jack just held each other's glare; held it until a hand shot out and smacked Ian in the back of the head.

"Enough with the testosterone show" Dawn said, "this isn't helping, and General Hammond was about to tell us about this installation."

"I was" Hammond said as all eyes turned to him.

"I was anticipating" Dawn said with a smile.

"How about you tell us what you know, then we'll fill in the blanks."

"OK then, this facility is built around a device known as 'The Stargate'. Our best guess is that it creates Einstein-Rosen bridges between itself and similar devices scattered all over the galaxy, allowing travel between these gates. As to how it got here, best guess is an ancient civilization that either moved up the evolutionary ladder enough to where they were not necessary or they moved to another galaxy and just left their toys behind. We also postulate that since there wasdefinitely one other race in the galaxy, that there are others as well, and probably at least one of them is less than friendly. Your function here is to contact these other races, establish allies wherever possible and defend us from the bad guys when necessary. Considering the manner of egress, that probably means small commando type raids rather than full scale battle. You also gather intelligence about the bad guys and look for more devices left behind by the older civilization." Dawn shot Hammond a dazzling smile when she was done, and ignored the looks she was receiving from the other SGC members.

For his part, the General looked dumfounded for a moment, then shook it off "you were quite right little lady. You did neglect to mention the archeological functions that we perform here, as well as researching simpler alien life, like plants and such, but that was a very good description. How do you know all that?"

"As I said, most of it is guesswork, but fairly educated guesses. As to how we know, well I'm sure that there are a few members here who are Catholics, and they tend to confess whenever they go through something stressful like an off-world mission; and since any information that isn't directly related to their sins can be passed on, well we learned a lot."

"And if we ever needed to contact you quietly, who should we confess to" the General asked.

Ian and Dawn shared a look before he said "Father Timothy Ryan, at St. Agnes here in town. He's got direct ties to our organization."

The General knew that they were trying to establish trust, but he was smart enough to realize that there was more than one connection "thank you, we'll keep that in mind if anything else ever comes up. Now that we know you have a basic understanding of the situation, how about we fill in some of the details." General Hammond went on to explain the history of the Stargate program and what had happened in the last four years. He explained about the Goauld and their efforts to control the galaxy. It was here that the talk got interesting.

"I think we've run into them before" Dawn said.

"Here on Earth, that's not possible" Major Carter insisted.

"At the time it was considered simple possession, but a friend of ours commented that they had a different odor than normal. You might use that, some sort of a pheromone detector or even something as simple as a sniffing dog to root out any that might be here."

"He said they smelled differently"Jack asked "how he could tell something like that."

"Trust me, Oz has a very well developed sense of smell" Dawn answered.

"We'll have someone look into that" the General said. "Now it's too late today, but tomorrow we'd like to run you through a few training exercises, just to gauge how fit you two are." The General stood up "Sergeant Neely will show you to your quarters and help you find your way around the compound. I hope I don't need to tell you that unauthorized roaming is not recommended."

"No General, you don't" Ian answered. "Thank you all for your hospitality and we'll see you tomorrow" and with that, Ian and Dawn left after the sergeant.

After they were gone, the General looked at his flagship team and asked "so what do you think?"

"I believe that they are both quite formidable" Teal'c answered; surprising everyone else.

"Why do you think that" Daniel asked.

"Because Daniel Jackson, they demonstrated both the willingness to act and the wisdom to listen, they asked thoughtful questions, and in their actions and words they were supporting each other at all times. They are closely tied in their actions and that is most formidable of all."

"I've got to say, I've never seen anyone move as fast as they did" Sam added "he had that gun out before I even noticed he was moving. What do you think Colonel?"

"I think he has the coldest eyes I've ever seen. I looked at him over that gun and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if he thought it was the right thing to do." Jack gave a little shudder "having that kind of intensity aimed at you is real un-nerving. I'm not sure how I feel about working with em, but I will definitely be keeping my eye on em."

"They seemed pretty knowledgeable, I mean about languages and stuff."

"True Daniel, but they didn't seem that scientifically oriented."

"Hey" Jack said "I'm not that scientifically oriented, that's why we've got you."

Sam blushed at that, but said no more.

"Very good" Hammond said "come up with a regimen that you want to put them through tonight, and we'll have them get started tomorrow, and Jack, nothing too crazy."

"Sir" O'Neill said, feigning outrage "I'm shocked you'd suggest such a thing, I can assure you it will be a fair test of their abilities."

Shaking his head, Hammond went back to his office.

"Fair" Sam asked.

"Well, fair if they're a team of Olympic athletes" Jack replied with a grin.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So what do you think" Dawn asked.

"I think they're a bit up tight for me, but they've got potential."

"That's scary"

"What is?"

"Hearing you call someone else uptight."

"Look who's talking Ms. 'I don't want to give the monitors something to listen to', you make me look like a libertine."

"I do not."

"Come on, you're a biker chick, you're supposed to be a little wild."

The two of them weren't stupid enough to actually be speaking in a human language. They knew their room was being bugged, so they had done the usual evening things for a couple and went to bed. Then they started talking in Fyarl, because it sounds like snoring. That and the fact that Ian doubted anyone here spoke any demon languages.

Dawn snuggled up a bit closer "maybe tomorrow" she said.

"Tomorrow is the question, isn't it? You know they're gonna give us a bunch of impossible stuff to do, so do we barely squeak by, or do we blow it away."

"Honestly I don't think it matters much, sooner or later they're gonna give us a med screen to see what's different about us."

"You think they'd find anything."

"A regular hospital, no way; but this place isn't regular, is it. They're used to dealing with exotic and unusual, so something might actually show up."

"I say we just blow whatever they give us to do away. That way they have some idea about our abilities."

"What about the mental ones?"

"Just perfect memory for now."

"OK" Dawn said as she laid her head on her husband's chest "I love you".

"I love you too Bella Alba".

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You have got to be kidding me" was the only thing Dawn had to say. It was the next morning and the pair from the Vatican were going through the first bit of testing to insure that they were capable of dealing with a Stargate mission. This test was the martial arts instructor for the base. Steve Downing was 6'1" and 210 pounds, none of it fat; he also happened to be both the Karate and Aikido champion for the entire armed forces. Now he was squaring off against a 120 pound girl. 'I'll have to take it easy so I don't kill her' he thought.

"If you don't think you can cut it, just say so" Colonel O'Neill said with a smug little grin. Dawn glared at the man; she knew what would happen if she begged off, the two of them would be replaced.

"Let's just get this over with" Dawn said with a resigned sigh and stepped onto the mat with Steve. She took a loose Karate stance and signaled she was ready. Jack moved out of the way as he signaled them to begin. Steve made a straight handed lunge at Dawn's left side. The girl grabbed his right wrist with her right hand, and then pirouetting inside his grasp, slammed her left elbow into the side of his head. While her opponent was still staggered, Dawn ducked under his right arm until she was behind him, and then altered her grip so that she had his right arm in a punishing submission hold. Realizing that he would either have to submit or have his arm taken out of its socket; Steve surrendered. As Dawn stepped back, all of the military people were incredulous; this little girl had taken the instructor apart in less than ten seconds. Ian just beamed at her, and hugged her when she made her way over to him.

"Ready for round two" Ian said, stepping onto the mat. Steve just nodded, he had been overconfident with the girl and had paid the price, he wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Ian took a loose jui jitsu stance in response to Steve's karate stance. Steve smiled to himself, this particular form had a hole in the defense, it was vulnerable to a kick on the left side after a low right block. Jack signaled begin and moved out of the way. Steve shot a right at Ian's left side, which was blocked, then Steve kicked low and right which was also blocked then threw the kick at the left side, there it was, the hole in the defense. His inner smile turned to confusion as he felt the jarring impact of his kick being blocked. How was that possible one part of his brain asked? It wasn't answered another. His inner dialogue was cut off when he noticed he was flying backwards through the air. Just as he was feeling the blow to his chest, gravity realized that Steve was breaking a rule or two and turned its jaundiced glance his way. Steve came crashing back down on the mat, satisfying gravity (which turned its attention back to making sure everything else fell down the way it was supposed to). Now he could feel the blow to his chest as well as the realization that all of the wind had been knocked from him. What he couldn't understand was how he had ended up twenty feet away from his opponent. Steve tried to get up twice, and sagged back to the mat both times.

"I guess I win" Ian said to the gathered crowd, most of them didn't hear him; they were all open mouthed at what had just happened. All Jack O'Neill could do was nod; there was no way that those two kids should have been able to do what he had just seen them do there was a growing suspicion in the back of his mind that the two of them were sandbagging him, but he had no choice now but to go through the rest of the regimen with them.

They both broke the base record for the obstacle course, and could remember Pi to more decimal places than Sam, and could read more ancient languages than Daniel. Jack was now getting seriously worried; all that they had left today was the shooting range. The two carried those antique pistols, but he wondered how they would do with modern weapons.

"So what do you want to start with, the nine millimeter Beretta or the M-4?"

"I'm sorry, were you speaking English" Ian asked.

"Do you want to start with the pistol or the machine gun?"

Ian and Dawn just shared a look "how exactly do they work" Dawn asked finally.

Jack smiled to himself, 'we have a winner' he thought. He spent the next few minutes describing the workings of the two guns, how to load them and shoot them. "OK" he said finally "let's see how you two do on the range".

"Do we get a bit of practice, or are we scoring from the get go" Ian asked.

"One clip each to warm up should do it, after that we'll count it."

The two youngsters just gave a nod and started shooting. They seemed fairly comfortable with the Beretta, but the M-4 seemed to give them a bit of grief. They eventually ran out of bullets, and signaled that they were ready to shoot for score.

"Alright, ten shots at fifty yards, that's a maximum score of 100."

"What's qualifying?"

"Ninety Five Jack answered". He looked over to see that Sam looked scandalized, and Daniel even looked a bit surprised. For a novice to shoot anything above an eighty would be remarkable. Ninety Five was the qualifying score for an expert rating.

Both Ian and Dawn took a breath, then they started shooting. They didn't pause, they didn't shoot and look, they just ripped the entire clip off in under ten seconds. Jack was ecstatic, there was no way they had even come close to the score necessary, not with rapid fire.

As he reeled the targets in, he started to get a little worried; there were an awful lot of holes in the middle of the targets. Once they were all the way in, he became officially freaked out. Each of them had shot a perfect score, ten shots, ten bulls eyes, in rapid fire; there was no way that could have happened, but he had just watched it. There was absolutely no way they could have faked it or cheated, it was impossible, but the evidence that it had happened was in his hand. He showed the targets to both Sam and the range master. They were equally dumfounded.

He finally turned to the two Vatican agents "nice job, you both qualify with the Beretta, now lets just see how good you are." He put two fresh targets up and sent them down to the end of the range, five hundred yards to be exact "give this a try".

Again they each took a breath, and then opened up. Just like before they pulled off their ten shots in under ten seconds. As they stood up, they looked satisfied, as though they had been worried about something. As the targets came back, Jack was well and truly shocked. Dawn had again shot a perfect score; Ian had shot a Ninety Nine. The young man caught quite a bit of razzing from his wife about that. Jack and the others ignored their banter, something remarkable was going on here, these two kept doing things that should not have been possible, and the impression that Jack had was that they were holding back.

He just sighed "alright, let's try the M-4's". As he was coming to expect, they were just as good with those as they had been with the hand guns. Now a small crowd had gathered and watched in awe as the two of them kept getting impossible scores at unheard of distances. None of it pleased Jack, finally he got tired of seeing the scores the two kids were getting and called a halt.

Ian looked at Jack "anything else for today?"

"Nothing urgent, we've got some technical stuff to go over, but it can wait till tomorrow, go relax and get some sleep."

The two thanked him, and their pet security officer escorted them back to their room. Once they were gone, Jack huddled up with the rest of SG1. "So what do you guys think?"

"As I said before O'Neill, they are formidable."

"True, but what they're doing is just impossible."

"Maybe you just have to accept the fact that they're the best we've ever seen."

"No Daniel, what the Colonel said is literally true, there should be no way they could have scored what they did shooting."

"So you think something's up" Daniel asked.

"I think I don't know what's going on, and I don't like that."

"Well let's just wait and see how they handle the combat sims tomorrow."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jack O'Neill was not a happy man. After his plan had come to a spectacular ruin on that first day, the next two had been just as bad, if not worse from his point of view. The two kids blew through every combat sim like tornados through a trailer park. No one had ever seen scores this high, Sam had even called the programmer to see if it could be made harder. The programmer was incredulous when he had been told the kind of ratings the two Vatican operatives were getting. Jack was totally at a loss as to what to do, it seemed that there was literally nothing that these two couldn't do. The way they moved and acted was totally seamless, he had not been that tight with his old Special Forces team or with SG1 and they had been together almost five years.

As he watched them succeed in scenario after scenario he kept digging through his mind, hoping to come up with a situation that would put the brakes on these two very cocky youngsters. Jack truly believed that the young needed lessons in humility, and indeed, he had dished out a fair few of those in his life. But now he realized that he didn't really care for being on the receiving end at this stage of his life. He winced as the two finished off yet another impossible save; no, he didn't care for this lesson one bit.

After the kids had been dismissed for the day, Jack looked around at his team and asked "any ideas"?

"We could pull a 'Kobiashi Maru' on them" Sam suggested.

"A what?"

"It's from Star Trek, it means a no win scenario."

"What are you doing getting ideas from Star Trek?"

"Hey, we all have guilty pleasures, mine just happens to be Star Trek, I don't want to hear anything from you just because I don't like drowning worms."

"Hey, fishing is a legitimate sport."

"I always wondered how that could be a sport since you can do it while you're drunk?"

Jack didn't bother to answer, shooting Daniel a poisoned glare and turning back to Sam "so you're suggesting that we give them a scenario that they can't win, then what? They know that they're blowing all of the other tests away, as much as I hat to say it, it wouldn't be right to keep em out over not solving a no win."

"I agree Colonel, but if they did beat it, it would tell us that something is up, that somehow they're breaking the rules and then we have some leverage."

"Leverage, you mean blackmail them into telling us whatever we want to know" Daniel asked.

"That's a little blunt, but yes, exactly that."

"Then where does it stop, do we force them to do whatever we want, dance for us" Daniel shook his head "count me out."

"I am in agreement with Daniel Jackson, this idea is practical, but without honor."

"So what do you suggest" Sam asked.

"Ask them, has anyone tried just talking to them, maybe if we just asked them how they're able to do what they do, they'd answer us."

"You're saying just walk up and ask 'how do you keep doing these impossible things' have I got that right?"

"It's a place to start Jack, if they stonewall us, then we go to Sam's plan, but I want to avoid that if we can. These are our allies, we don't want to piss them off and then expect them to watch our butts."

"OK Daniel, after this last scenario, we'll talk to Romeo and Juliet, and see what they have to say."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As soon as the briefing started, both Ian and Dawn knew that they were being set up. As they sat there, half listening, they discussed how to handle it; speaking in Fyarl of course.

"Set up?"

"Without a doubt, give in or full tilt?"

"They haven't asked us anything yet, might as well push it."

"You sure?"

"Nope, but that's what my gut says."

"Think they'll be able to handle it?"

"Not at first, but yeah, I do."

"I hope you're right."

"Me too"

It had been described as a routine sabotage run, but it was anything but that. There were hostages and a bunch of the enemy, about four times what they had been told to expect. They were currently holed up behind a few rocks, but they could hear the enemy working to surround them. Ian looked at Dawn "how about I break you out that way" he indicated some woods to the left "then it's a slayer hunt". This referred to one of the training exercises for the new slayers, where Ian and Dawn hunted them so the newbies could grasp exactly what would happen if they lost.

"Best we can do, I suppose" Dawn said.

Ian nodded and closed his eyes, he disappeared and in a minute or so all the shooting stopped from the woods. Dawn looked around for a second and then sprinted for the woods. No one that witnessed it could believe how fast she was moving. She made the woods easily and then the firing died down again. After that, at different points on the field, the firing would erupt for a second, sputter and then not start up again. In a relatively short time O'Neill could see Dawn leading the 'hostages' to the evac point while Ian was placing the demo charges.

'What the hell was going on' Jack thought 'they should be taking fire from all over the field'. But there was no shooting, no movement, no nothing. Suddenly Ian was standing behind him "you're gonna have to do better than that" the kid said with a smirk, then he disappeared. Jack just gaped and blinked, what the hell had just happened; because when he turned back there was Ian again finishing up with the demo charges and wiring them to blow.

Jack joined them at the end of the scenario along with the rest of SG1; he was just glaring at the two kids. Ian looked up at him, almost chagrined "I suppose we need to talk, huh."

"That would be a good idea" Jack said.


	4. Nothing Like a Field Trip

GATE CRASHERS – CHAPTER 4

The six of them left the simulation room without any more talking, at least anything verbal, that didn't stop Dawn from trying to figure out what was going on.

'Do you think that was the smartest play' Dawn asked, using her telepathy.

'I couldn't think of anything better'.

'So what's the objective'?

'Well they need to know about us, but we can't volunteer the information; but if they ask me, I can't lie'.

'Do you think there's any chance that they'll believe you'?

'I was thinking a little trip or demonstration might be in order'.

'That's risky'.

'I know, but they need to know'.

'I agree, but I wish you would have let me know what you were planning, we might have come up with something better'.

'Sorry, it just came to me right before the scenario today'.

'You mean you just ad-libbed that'?

'Yeah, I thought that all the insane scores would have forced them to talk to us sooner, when they didn't I got desperate'.

'I suppose, I just hope it works out for the best'.

'You and me both kiddo'.

When they all arrived at Ian and Dawn's quarters Ian turned to the SG1 team "you all need to get comfortable, this will take a while." Then he turned to Dawn, could you turn off the surveillance honey?"

Dawn just nodded and closed her eyes, soon a noise, like an electrical short could be faintly heard, the girl opened her eyes and smiled at her husband "no eyes or ears anymore."

"Thanks sweetie" he said.

"What do you mean 'no eyes or ears'" Jack demanded.

"Dawn just shut them down" Ian replied with a nonchalant attitude, as though defeating surveillance systems wasn't a big deal.

"That I understand, what I don't is how she did it" Jack clarified.

"Just a little spell a friend taught me" Dawn answered.

"A spell, you mean like magic, don't you" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we mean Doctor Jackson" Ian told him.

"OK, now I know you two are nuts, I've heard enough already" Jack got up to leave and suddenly Dawn gestured and muttered a few words. Instantly the leader of SG1 fell bonelessly back into the chair he had just tried to vacate. Seeing this, the other members of the team tried to stand, but only Teal'c found that he could.

"What have you done to them" the Jaffa asked.

"Simply insured that they listen to the whole story, after that they are free to leave" Ian answered.

"Why was I not immobilized?"

"I wasn't sure how your symbiot would react, so I didn't take the chance" Dawn answered.

"Very well, I will listen to what you have to say" and with that Teal'c sat down.

Ian looked at his wife "so do you want to go into Giles mode?"

"Sure" she answered, then turned to the SG1 team. "First of all, the world is a lot older than anyone suspects, and contrary to what most people believe, it didn't start out as a paradise. Things that we call demons roamed the earth, eventually the true demons left this plane of existence, but there were still half demons, or what we call hybrids left here, and they are still here. The most common is the vampire, but there are at least 150 other species that we know of. It is up to some of us to fight them and keep their population under control."

"Assuming any of this is true, are you two even human" Sam asked.

"Partially" Dawn replied; she then turned to Daniel. "Did you ever come across a reference to something called 'the Key' in your researches"?

"Yeah, I did" Daniel replied slowly "I thought it was just another reference to the Stargate."

"They are similar, but the Stargate works mechanically and sends you to other worlds; the Key functions mystically and sends you to other dimensions. I'm sure you can see the similarities. Anyway, a demon goddess was exiled to this plane of existence and discovered the existence of the Key. In order to hide it from her it was given human form, my form to be exact. She was defeated and eventually I learned to tap into that well of mystical energy inside me in order to increase my speed, strength and agility. It has also allows me to work simple magics."

"So there are other planes of existence, different dimensions and demon goddesses and you didn't start out as a human, you were made into one; have I got all that straight" Jack asked.

"Quite correct Colonel" Dawn answered.

"I was afraid of that" Jack replied, then he turned to Ian. "So if she was this ball of mystical energy, what the hell are you?"

"As you have heard, the demons that walk this plane are hybrids, it is not only the minions of darkness that do this, we of the light do so as well. I am what is known as a Seraph."

Daniel had an incredulous look on his face "you're some kind of Angel"?

"An Angel" Jack scoffed "right, they let Angels shoot guns and kill things, I don't think so."

"Read the old Testament" Ian replied while taking his shirt off "Angel's leveled cities and killed millions"; as he was saying this, his wings grew out from his back and cupped forward. "Of course we must have justification for our deeds, but we do whatever is needed, and if that includes killing, so be it."

Sam reached out and touched the wing in front of her "real" she muttered to herself "it's really real".

"That's great" Jack said "you're an Angel and she's this mystical ball of energy, but why do we need to know this"?

"Three reasons Colonel: one, you need to know our capabilities; two, you need to know what we are used to dealing with; and three, you need to learn how to deal with it yourselves."

"Why is that?"

"You don't really think that something like the Ark is just going to be sitting there do you. It will probably be guarded, and by something a lot more deadly than the Goauld. You need to know what they are and how to fight them."

"You're saying we'll run into demons on this little excursion?"

"It's a possibility that can't be ignored."

"OK, I understand being prepared at least, I'm still not sure about vampires and demons and all that, but I do understand; now can we get up?"

Dawn muttered a bit and waved her hand, and all three human members of SG1 leapt out of their seats.

Dawn spoke up "before you all leave, there is one other thing that you should know."

"And what is that" Jack asked.

"We have clued you in about our physical abilities, but we haven't said anything about our mental abilities."

"What mental abilities" Sam spoke up.

'Telepathy for one' echoed in their heads.

Jack shook his head, trying to clear it. "Do you mean to say you can communicate mind to mind?"

"Yeah, we can" Dawn said.

"Then why bother with that snoring/coughing code you two were using?"

"Actually we were speaking Fyarl, it's a demon language, the reason we were doing that is because telepathy uses a lot of energy, and you can detect it."

"How would you do that" Sam asked.

"Monitor human thought frequencies" Dawn replied "it is detectable when used, and if the equipment is good enough, you can even listen in."

"Could you listen in on our thoughts?"

"If we wanted to, but that would be unethical, not to mention rude; so we don't."

"But we only have your word for that."

"True, but I'm an Angel, I can't lie or I lose all my powers and my body dies."

"So if you tell a lie, you're dead" Jack asked, a little surprised.

"That's about it Colonel."

'That's a bit harsh' Jack thought, out loud he asked "so any other surprises for today?"

"Actually we were wondering if you wanted to see some of these things first hand."

SG1 exchanged looks, finally Jack spoke "I suppose we had better, if we're gonna have to fight some of these things."

"Excellent" Dawn said "be back here in an hour with your pistols and Zat guns. Oh, and wear a cross if you have one, and light body armor wouldn't be too much."

"Fine, can I ask where we're going?"

"Cleveland"

"Ohio, do I even want to know how we're gonna get there?"

"No Colonel, you probably don't."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So are we actually take these guys on patrol" Dawn asked.

"Yeah we are, I mean it's not like we'd be taking folks that had no idea what they were doing, besides, it lets us see what they're capable of."

"You think they'll be OK?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise; the only thing that worries me is Teal'c."

"You don't think he can handle it?"

"No, I'm sure he could handle it, I'm just not sure about teleporting two separate entities in one body. I don't think he'll like it, but I'm gonna suggest that he stay behind."

"I don't think any of them will like that."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So what do you guys think, are they insane or what?"

"I do not believe them to be anything except completely honest with us. What they said explains much, both about themselves and about mysteries that have confounded scientific explanation."

"Come on Teal'c, demons and angels and magic."

"Consider Major Carter what you have seen and done in the last few years, traveled to other planets, had mechanical duplicates made, become faster and stronger than humanly possible, communicated with the past, and experienced the same day over and over. All of these things would seem impossible to an average human, as I am sure that what we do seems incredible to these two beings; but please do not be arrogant enough to presume that we alone deal with the strange or unusual."

"But Teal'c all of those things, plus what we do has a foundation in science, they are things we can explain; what they are talking about is pure fantasy."

"Are you maintaining that science alone holds the path to truth, or that science alone defines what truth is?"

"I guess I am."

"Are you willing to consider the possibility that you may be wrong?"

"It's not about that, I can prove or demonstrate or illustrate how all of the things that we have seen or done are possible."

"True, but they have offered proof as well; will you close your mind to it?"

"No, I won't, but it won't be easy."

"She's right" Daniel added, it won't be easy, but I'm willing to hear them out."

"Count me in as well then" Jack said "I just hope they're crazy cause I don't know if I could handle knowing that demons are really real."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So, you think we should call Riley and let him know we're dropping in for tea?"

"That would only be polite" Ian said with a grin.

Dawn pulled out a modified (and untraceable, according to Andrew) cell phone and called up the Cleveland watcher's residence.

'Riley Finn'

'Riley, it's Dawn, how's it going there?'

'A little tense here, Amanda's almost due, so she's a little irritable.'

'I bet; everything OK on that front?'

'Fine, just ready for it to be over; what's up with you two.'

'How do you know it's still the two of us?'

'I know you both, neither of you would back out, and I talked to Buffy the other day, so I know neither of you are dead.'

'We're fine; I was wondering if we could drop by this evening; along with a few guests?'

'Guests, what kind of guests?'

'Like you were back in the day, but a little more used to the bizarre, we just need to get them used to our definition of bizarre.'

'What's going on?'

'I really can't tell you, it is for a mission, and not just a whim. These folks are serious players; they're just not used to our field and our rules.'

'Well it'll be our night for guests, Faith and Jenn and a couple of others are dropping by as well.'

"That'll just be peachy' Dawn said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

'What's the matter?'

'Did Buffy tell you about how Berlin ended?'

'Yeah, she was pretty pissed at your boy.'

"Well so is Faith and this'll be the first time they've met since then.'

'This could get ugly.'

'I'll make sure he's on his best behavior; and why is Faith and the others coming in anyway?'

'I'll tell you when you get here, OK. Oh, do I need to pick you all up at the airport?'

'Nah, we'll be catching the express tonight, see you soon Riley.'

'See ya Dawn Patrol.'

Dawn tried to hide a grimace of distaste as she put her phone away, would she keep getting called these childish nicknames all her life?

Seeing the look, Ian asked "so which was it this time 'Dawn Giovanni or Dawn Pardo'?"

"Neither, he was back to 'Dawn Patrol', I thought that one was dead and buried."

"I think he and Xander work to revive the oldest ones, especially with the reactions they produce in you. So, are we welcome?"

"As far as Riley is concerned we are, but Faith and a couple of others will be there" she saw the look of disappointment on her husbands face. "We don't have to do this tonight."

"The sooner the better" Ian answered "and I promise to make nice, and I definitely won't throw the first punch."

"You are an Angel hon, try to act it once in a while."

"If you insist" Ian said with a grin.

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An hour after they left, the SG1 team arrived back in the guest quarters; they were armed as the two had suggested, but they were also carrying mini-recorders and other equipment that they had found useful over the years. "OK, so how are we getting there" Jack asked.

"Well, before we leave, I'm gonna suggest that we leave Teal'c behind."

"Why?"

"Two reasons; one being that the people we'll be visiting are smart and observant, they'll notice that he's not human. The second is I'm not sure we could safely transport two entities in a single body, it's not a risk I want to take unless we have to."

Jack O'Neill turned to his friend "your call, do you want to stay or come with us?"

"If getting there is a risk, then I will remain here."

"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't want to accidentally cause you injury."

"I understand and thank you for your consideration." He then turned to Daniel "I expect a complete and thorough report Daniel Jackson."

Daniel looked a bit surprised, but he grinned at his team-mate and nodded.

"Well then, I guess we're ready to go" Jack said "what do we need to do."

"Just cluster together in the middle of the floor and close your eyes, we'll do the rest."

The three SG1 members just looked at each other for a moment, shrugged and gathered together. Ian stood on one side and Dawn on the other. The two of them joined hands and merged their power and thought of their destination. The Stargate team felt a moment or two of disorientation, much milder than going through the gate. "OK guys, you can open your eyes" Ian said. They opened their eyes and found that they were in the back yard of a suburban house, it was night and the streetlights were on. They saw a man, somewhat older than the two Vatican agents come out of the house and stare at them for a second or two; "welcome to Cleveland" he finally said.

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Dawn had immediately ran up and given him a bone rattling hug "how's it going Dad" she asked.

"I'm not a dad yet kiddo, afterwards I'll let you know." He looked up at the other four "why don't you guys come in, the neighbors already talk too much. After they were all inside the study, Riley looks the SG1 team over, then asks Ian "who are your friends?"

"Riley Finn, I'd like you to meet Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, and Doctor Daniel Jackson. They're some people that we have to work with on a project, they're kind of like you used to be, and they need to know what goes bump in the night."

"Any training?"

"Special Forces kind of stuff and five years or so practical, they know their way around."

"Sounds good enough, so what were you thinking?"

"Just a patrol, show em a vamp and whatever else happens to show up." Then thinking for a second he asked "they got a place like the 'Alibi Room' in this town?"

"Yeah they do, it's even run by Willy's cousin."

"You've got to be kidding me, does his family have a death wish or something."

"I guess it's just the family business, God knows Willy could tell him everything he needs to know about stocking and stuff, so in a way it makes sense."

"Excuse me" Jack broke in "but what are we talking about?"

"A demon bar" Riley answered "we let it stay in business because most demons are relatively harmless, and any one in a bar is one less out causing trouble. It's also a great source of information."

"We're going to a demon bar tonight" Jack asked, a little dazed.

"Yep" Ian answered right after we do a little sweep to see what's out there". He turned to Riley "so where do you suggest we patrol?"

"The stock yards have been kind of hot lately, that also puts you near 'Purgatorio'."

"Well, the stock yards it is then" Ian said. He then turned to the others "you all ready to go?"

"Sure" Jack said "but what's the hurry, we haven't even had dinner yet."

"We'll get something on the way" Ian said.

"Don't bother" Riley interrupted "Amanda's making beef stew, there's plenty for all."

"Sounds great" Dawn said "I'll go help her get it ready". And with that she left the study and headed for the kitchen.

Ian turned back to Riley "so when is Faith and company due, and why are they here in the first place?"

"Well, Amanda's almost due, so we needed the extra help, and …" he trailed off, looking at the SG1 team; "Giles found a prophecy about the offspring of a slayer on the Hellmouth. We're a little worried about that, not to mention all of the locals that would want to use something or someone for leverage. So we're just being cautious."

"You want me to arrange for anything" Ian asked.

"Could you" Riley exclaimed "the more the merrier."

Ian closed his eyes for a moment, Daniel was close enough to see his lips move slightly, then his eyes opened wide "done and done, just don't chase off any white cats you find lurking around you're property."

"Are you serious, my kid will have angelic protection?"

"Yeah, well passive protection at least; but that will become active in an emergency. The higher ups agreed that there was some danger here, so a few precautions are a good idea. I'd also see about Giles uping your presence here; you've got some rough seas ahead."

"You got anything specific to go with that?"

"Nah Riley, just the notion that a few more slayers would be a good idea."

"OK then, I'll talk to Giles". He probably would have said more, but he was interrupted by his wife's cry of "dinner".

They all sat down in the dining room; Amanda was introduced to the SG1 team then Riley started talking to them about their military service and comparing notes. It turned out that Riley had known General Hammond before he had taken over Stargate Command. Things were loosening up a bit when Ian felt something near, a signature he recognized. Faith had arrived.

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She paused before she got to the door. She could feel him inside, and she really wasn't prepared to deal with him just yet. They had been friends for almost ten years; they had saved each other in more ways than she could count. But what had happened in Berlin bothered her. She thought he had jumped into something that wasn't his business. She couldn't imagine that he had done it for some petty reason, but it bothered her that he had done it at all. She knew it bugged B, but Buffy couldn't say much without pissing off little D. Jenn, Marta and Sohalia noticed that she had stopped; Jenn turned to her and asked "what's up Faith"?

"He's in there."

"You're kidding; he's in there right now?"

"Yeah"

"So why aren't you in there kicking his ass into the next time zone?"

"Two reasons: one because I'm not sure I should, two because I doubt I could."

"You're scared of Golden Boy, can't say I see much there."

"Any time you want to give him a go, I'll arrange for your funeral service, I mean come on you remember what he did down in Africa, right."

"Only from what everyone else told me, I never really saw what he did."

"Well like I said, I'm not gonna take him on and neither are you" she said seeing a dangerous light in her friends eyes, "but I'm pissed at him."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"Not sure, but standing out here ain't getting it done." With that she walked up to the door. Before she could knock, it was pulled open and Faith found herself face to face with Ian.

"Well, if it isn't the 'Killer Angel' himself" Jenn said with a great deal of contempt.

Ian looked chagrined at that accusation, but then met Jenn's eyes "I did what needed to be done, just as you have as a slayer. If any of you has anything to say to me, it would be better to do it out here, there are guests inside that don't need to hear this."

Faith glared at him for a second, and then just said "why".

"Because the both of you were holding back, I didn't want either of you to be hurt or possibly killed because you felt guilty about Ingrid getting turned. So rather than have you two risking your lives, I did what I felt I had to do."

"But it was our call, it was slayer business" Faith said.

"Slayers had already been hurt; I didn't want to see how many more before somebody finally went full out."

"So you were just keeping us safe" Faith asked with a smirk.

"I am an Angel" Ian answered "it's kind of in the job description." He could feel the hostility draining out of Faith. "I am sorry I took the responsibility from you, but after seeing what she did to Rona and Vi, I was scared for you all."

Faith knew that he couldn't lie, so believing him was an easy thing to do, even for her. "Five by Five Flyboy, just be a little more open about what's going on in the future, OK."

"I don't make promises I'm not sure I'll be able to keep, but I'll do my best, that I do promise."

"Good enough; so who's the guests?"

Ian told them what he could about the SG1 team and why they were in Cleveland. He told her a little more in her mind, in case something happened Faith would be able to tell Buffy about what had happened to her sister. He also told her about the Angelic guards around the home and what forms they would be in, just to avoid confusion and difficulties.

"Sounds like you've got this wired, why don't you take the 'Star Trek Convention' and patrol, we'll keep a watch here."

"Thanks Faith, we'll let you know if we find anything serious." He leaned back and yelled into the house "time to patrol you guys."

"Yeah" Faith called out "time to pop your cherries."

"Thanks Faith, I'm sure military people love to hear that" Ian said with a smirk.

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When they got back to Stargate Command, there wasn't much talking. They had found about half a dozen vamps, which died with the help of the Zat guns. That hadn't been too traumatic, but the demon bar really seemed to freak them out. Ian's presence had caused a bit of tension with the demons just being what he was; but no one had gotten violent.

"How is it possible that something this monumental is completely unknown" Sam asked.

"Well, it isn't completely unknown, just generally" Dawn replied "personally I put it down to the human animals' ability to selectively forget what it wants to. Think for a second Major, are you sure you've never seen a demon before?"

Sam thought for a moment, recalling what she had seen in the bar and what she had seen during her life. There was this garbage man she remembered from when her dad was stationed in Ohio. 'Maybe' she thought.

"We know for a fact that Doctor Jackson has seen vampires in the past" Dawn said.

"I knew I had seen you two before" Daniel said "you were there that night".

"We were, it was pure co-incidence but we were there. We were afraid you would remember before you were ready to, so we tried to distract you with the album."

"And the Faith on the album was the same Faith we just met?"

"That was her."

"So she is a Slayer, I believe you called them."

"Yes, Faith and Jenn and Amanda are all slayers. There was only supposed to be one, but we found a way to bend the rules. We'll tell you about it when we've got a lot of time, it's a long story."

"The question is what happens now" Dawn asked.

"How about we run through a couple of sims together" Jack said "then go get your knick-knack at the end of the week."

"That's a plan I can get behind" Ian said.

"How about we go over the particulars in the morning" Sam said yawning "right now I need to sleep."

"See you tomorrow then" Dawn said. And with that everyone retired to their rooms and went to sleep. For some it was more peaceful than others.


	5. Getting There is Half the Fun

GATE CRASHER'S – CHAPTER 5

It surprised Ian how closely the two teams meshed in such a short time. But after only two days of sims, everyone could reasonably predict everyone else's reaction to just about any scenario. The Vatican agents had also instinctively assumed unique niches on the team; Ian as a scout and Dawn as a medic. These identities had helped everyone feel more comfortable with the set up.

Sam and Dawn had formed a tight bond over the two days. Ian wasn't really surprised at this. Dawn hadn't really been able to spend time with someone who could understand her status as a woman excelling in a man's job in a man's world. Dawn had spent her early life around powerful women, but at the Vatican she was considered something of an interloper, that was a situation that Sam could relate to. The two women had initially come together over that, but as they spent time together, this bond grew and tightened as they discovered each others souls.

Over all, Ian realized that he already considered the SG-1 team to be his friends, people that he knew he could rely on. That was pretty quick work for two days.

Now they were outfitted and ready to go. Ian felt a little strange, realizing that soon he would be literally walking on another world. Different dimensions were something in his experience, but a different world was something he never thought he would experience. He smiled at Dawn. His wife looked excited and he had to admit that she also looked pretty darn cute in her fatigues and web gear. General Hammond had been very firm on not allowing them to wear their leather jackets and other biker gear. 'Ah well' Ian thought, the price we pay to fit in. The two had altered the gear that they had been given though, now it accommodated swords and daggers and holy water and their revolvers as well as the gear they had been issued. They even had a book or two that both the Cardinal and Giles had thought might be useful. They gave each other a brief kiss, and then at a signal from Colonel O'Neill, they were moving up the ramp. Ian's nervousness grew as they approached the watery demarcation between two worlds. Soon he was there, and with a deep breath he took a step and crossed hundreds of light years. He felt a moment of darkness and swirling chaos, then he felt himself walking down a ramp in the sunlight. He was on another world.

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"Daniel, you and Dawn check the DHD and see about deciphering the writing on the base there" he pointed at some tablets that had been arranged around the base of the DHD. "Ian, you and Major Carter patrol 180 degrees from here on over" he indicated the area he wanted patrolled. "Teal'C and I will take the other half", he looked around at his team "the General's only given us 48 hours people, so time is critical".

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"Do you recognize the language Doctor Jackson" Dawn asked.

"It looks to be some sort of derivative of Hebrew, so piecing it together shouldn't be too bad, I just hope we get it done in time to help. Can you read any of this?"

"Actually yeah I can, although I'm better in Sumerian than Hebrew."

"You can read Sumerian?"

"Yeah, and I can speak it too, but my accent sucks."

"Can I ask why you would have to speak Sumerian?"

"The Sumerians were very into magic, so there are loads of spells in Sumerian and its derivatives. So reading it and speaking it were kind of essentials for growing up in Sunnydale."

"If you don't mind me saying so, you've had a very strange life up to now."

"What do you mean 'up to now' Doctor Jackson. Here I am, on a totally different planet, trying to translate some tablets that appear to be written in a derivative of Hebrew, hoping that they'll tell us where the Ark of the Covenant is hidden. Does any of this sound vaguely normal to you?"

"No, I suppose not; but for me this is just a day at the job."

"And that's pretty much what it was for me. It's just that when I was growing up the notion of 'high school as hell' was a bit more literal than usual."

Daniel shrugged at the notion and went back to work translating the tablets.

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"It's pretty darn quiet here Teal'C" Jack said.

"Indeed O'Neill, I do not believe that we have encountered a Goauld controlled world where the Stargate terminus was lacking in guards. It is most strange."

"You think the 'trinket' has anything to do with it?"

"Unlikely, I believe however that the creatures that are attracted to may be the reason for this under-populated state."

"So you think that 'demons' are keeping the local population down, and have actually scared the Goauld into leaving this area unguarded?"

"I do, and if they are as fierce as has been described, the Goauld may actually be using them to guard against interlopers."

"So you think we ought to be very watchful tonight."

"I do indeed O'Neill."

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"You're a bit of an enigma Major."

"Oh, how is that?"

"It's just tough for me to reconcile someone as scientifically gifted as yourself, I even read your paper on wormhole physics; with the special forces bad ass that I'm patrolling with."

Sam chuckled a bit "that's the first time someone called me a 'bad ass' Ian, I'm not sure if it's a compliment or not."

"It was definitely a compliment Major; I guess I expected you to be too cerebral to be effective in the field, I must say I'm happy that you're proving me wrong."

"What, you didn't think a girl could be good at this?"

Ian laughed at that "you're kidding right, working with Dawn on a constant basis for the last few years and with slayers off and on, I have no prejudices about women being able to handle anything this kind of life would throw at them."

"I do my best" Sam agreed, but Ian noticed an uneasy look, like a shadow flit across her face.

He probably would have said more, but just then he detected someone, or something. He signaled Sam to take up a support position, and he went ahead just a bit. He had expected a Goauld or a Jaffa or whatever the heck they were, what he didn't expect was a Malzek demon armed with Goauld weapons. Knowing that silver was required to kill the thing, he hefted his sword and flung it like a javelin. Apparently he made some kind of noise, because the demon spun around to face him. Unfortunately for it, that just meant that he got to watch the sword come at his face instead of having it hit the back of his head. The demon collapsed without making any noise. Ian signaled to Sam and together they approached the thing.

"What the heck is it Ian" Sam asked.

"A Malzek demon" Ian answered "only silver will affect them, so I had to use the sword."

"What the heck was it doing here is the question we need an answer to."

"I'm not sure what it's doing here" Ian answered "but my guess is it's not good. Plus it was coming from somewhere, why don't we follow the back-trail and see what it was up to."

"You really think we should interrupt the patrol to figure out where it was coming from?"

"Yeah I do, I hate surprises."

"I can agree with that one" Sam said. "Let's get a move on."

They followed the demon's tracks and found fairly quickly that it lead to a weapons bunker. "What do you say major, loot it or blow it the heck up?"

"How about we booby-trap the entrance, that way we can use the stuff if we need it, but no one else can."

"Ian's eyebrows shot up "capital idea Major, let's get this done and then finish our sweep."

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"So what do we have Daniel?"

"Basically this tells us that we're on a planet controlled by Apophis, and that they seem to use demons to take care of anyone coming through the Stargate. Apparently the demons originally were confined to a small island off the coast near here, but they started settling here on the mainland."

"Any mention of what we're here for?"

"Just obliquely, the tablets talk about an object that none can touch, and that the demons were set to keep anyone who would use it away."

"Does it give directions to the island, I mean that's where the Ark is, right?"

"It sounds right, and yes, there are directions. I'm just not sure how we're going to get there."

"Steal a boat I guess" Dawn answered."

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"This is just too darned quiet" Jack said out loud "isn't there anything dangerous out here"? The two were nearing the end of their patrol and the quiet had finally gotten to Jack O'Neill.

He was answered when an eight foot being covered in grey fur jumped out at them and knocked Teal'C to the ground. "I had to ask" Jack said as he tried to raise his M-4. The demon (at least Jack assumed it was a demon) moved faster than Jack thought possible and knocked the gun out of his hand. Jack took the opportunity of this distraction to launch a flurry of kicks and punches at the demon's midsection. He might as well have been attacking the cornerstone of the Empire State building for all the effect it had. The demon made a few guttural noises that Jack figured was laughter and picked the human up by his forearms. The demon flexed his shoulders a bit, and Jack felt like his arms were being ripped off his body. He arched his spine in agony, then he heard the sound of a Zat being fired. The demon's spasming hands released Jack and the man collapsed in a heap. The demon recovered after a moment and looked around for what had attacked it, roaring all the while. Teal'C took careful aim and fired four more times in rapid succession. Screaming in agony, the demon lost its cohesion, and disintegrated where it stood, only a bad smell left to mark where it had died.

"Are you all right O'Neill" the Jaffa asked.

"A little banged up, but yeah, I'm OK".

"We should then head back to the others and tell them of what has occurred."

O'Neill could only nod his head weakly and the two of them headed back for the Stargate. Jack hoped they didn't run into anything else.

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Ian and Sam walked into the clearing after finishing their sweep of the perimeter. They had taken out one more demon, Sam had shot it with her Zat, but otherwise hadn't had any encounters. They saw Jack lying at the base of the Stargate and Sam ran forward to see what was the matter.

Dawn stopped the blond woman before she got to him "he was in a fight and I made him rest so he could heal better. Just calm down Major, he'll be fine. Dawn shot a grin at Ian as the major relaxed in the younger woman's arms. Dawn had known almost from the first the feelings that the blond woman kept bottled up. "Why don't we go over what Daniel and I have found and then we'll wake up the Colonel and decide what to do."

"OK" Daniel said "according to these tablets, there's an island about thirty miles off the coast and almost directly west of here. The island is almost definitely where the Ark is; it is also populated by demons. The demons have migrated over to the mainland. It looks like the Goauld are using the demons to keep intruders clear of the Stargate, so the Goauld presence here is minimal, although I'm sure they could be here quickly if they were called."

"That's probably the purpose of the bunker Sam and I found" Ian said.

"That and a weapons cache for the demons if they need them" Sam added.

"So our biggest problem is getting over to the island" Daniel said "I don't imagine that they've got transports just sitting around waiting to be stolen."

"We should wake up O'Neill" Teal'C said "he is gifted in such operations."

"I'm on it" Dawn said and she knelt over Jack and placed her hands on either side of his head. There was a brief glow, and the man was immediately awake.

"We need to come up with a plan" Daniel said to the question in Jack's eyes.

Ten minutes later they still had nothing. Sam noticed Ian and Dawn exchanging some significant glances and asked "what's up you two?"

"Well" Ian said "there may be a way to get someone to land here, whether they want to or not."

"So what's the problem, let's do it" Jack exclaimed

"It's damned risky" Dawn said.

"What is it" Sam asked.

"Basically I fly up there and find someone flying around, then I teleport into the ship and 'persuade' them to land where I want them to."

"Sounds easy enough, why the worries?"

"Well, if my aim is off, then I teleport into the middle of a wall or something, and that doesn't work too well."

"That's an understatement" Dawn muttered.

"Do we have any other options" Sam pressed.

"Not that I can see" Dawn said "that doesn't mean I have to be happy about this one."

Her husband came over to her while taking his shirt off "don't worry, I'll be back calling you 'Dawn Giovanni' before you even know I'm gone."

This elicited the smile he was after and as he hugged Dawn he whispered "I'll be back Bella Alba, count on it."

"Be safe Mi Cuore" she whispered back.

Extending his wings, he took to the sky, his mind already searching for someone else flying in the area.

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Vresleth, a Jaffa of middle rank, was flying a patrol over the unclean lands. He shuddered at the thought of what was on the ground below him. He had often questioned the wisdom of alliance with such creatures, but Apophis had declared that it would be so, so it was. Yet despite the word of his God, Vresleth still didn't like the idea of such creatures even existing. His thoughts were interrupted by a rush of air that came from behind him. Wondering what could have caused such a thing he began to turn in his seat, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a primitive weapon. Primitive, but highly effective he reminded himself. The weapon was in the hand of a smallish being that appeared to be one of the Tau'ri. He was in the same type of garments as those Tau'ri groups that came through the Chappa'ai. Vresleth was wondering what to do when a voice was in his head 'please take the controls again so we don't crash'. The words wee accompanied by a small gesture with the weapon. Now unsure about nearly everything he'd ever known Vresleth turned back to the glider's instruments and regained control. Had he truly heard a voice in his head he wondered or was it merely a reaction to the stress of finding a Tau'ri in his ship. 'It isn't stress' the voice replied 'please land by the Chapa'ai without signaling that you're in trouble. Behave and you may live through this day'.

"How is it possible that you are talking in my mind?"

'It is simply who I am' the voice replied.

Both Vresleth and his new companion braced themselves as the glider came in for a landing in a clearing near the Chappa'ai. As soon as motion had ceased the strange Tau'ri gestured with the weapon and Vresleth rose from the pilot's seat and moved towards the entrance. He wasn't surprised to see more of the Tau'ri, but he was surprised to see another of the Jaffa with them.

The captive froze for a moment then taking a formal stance addressed Teal'C "why are you helping the enemies of Apophis?"

"I assist the Tau'ri in freeing the Jaffa from the bondage of the Goauld; that is why I am here."

"You refuse to honor your gods?"

"The Goauld are not gods, and they are not mine" Teal'C replied with a deep dignity "I and many like me believe them to be false and evil."

"A god cannot be evil" Vresleth said hotly.

"Guys, could we debate theology another time" Jack asked, glaring at both the Jaffa. Then turning to his friend "can you fly this thing Teal'C?"

"I can O'Neill, but first we must determine what this one's disposition will be" he said gesturing to the captive.

"We could just tie him up and leave him in the bunker" Sam asked.

"Actually" Ian asked "could we camouflage the flier and rest tonight and head over when it won't be dark. Among other advantages, it'll allow me to be at full power when we need it."

"What do you mean 'full power'" Jack asked.

"I do have finite resources" Ian answered "and I've been expending a lot of power, I just want to be on top of my game if we're going to an island controlled by demons, not to mention most of them are dormant during the daytime."

Jack thought for a minute and then came to a decision. "OK, lets get this thing covered up and set up shop in that bunker Ian and Sam found."

Everyone got busy except Ian, who walked over to Dawn and asked "can you put him to sleep" he indicated the captured Jaffa.

Dawn just nodded, closed her eyes and mumbled for a moment. Ian turned to see Vresleth collapse to the ground. "Well that's one way of securing him, thanks honey" he said and carried the sleeping enemy into the bunker.

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Sam and Dawn had pulled the first watch, giving Ian a chance to sleep and get back up to full power. Dawn had been noticing the blond shooting her surreptitious glances since the mission started and decided to force whatever it was out in the open. "Did you want to ask me something Major?"

"Yes, actually there is" Sam said with a bit of a blush "I was wondering how you did it?"

"Which 'it' are we talking about?"

Sam was feeling awkward at the admissions her question would force from her "I was wondering how you managed a relationship in the middle of this insane job you do. How do the two of you survive knowing that any day could be your last? I wouldn't have the courage to face it daily, heck constantly for you two."

"Don't you get it, you already do. I know that what the two of us do insures a fairly brief life span; but everyone walking on earth is on borrowed time as it is. Tomorrow could be anyone's last day or everyone's if an apocalypse happens."

"Yeah, well that's great in theory there missy, but the practical application is a little different and you know it."

Dawn hung her head a bit "I know" she said "when Ian asked me to go with him, I had to really think about it. The way I figured there were three options: one, just blow him off and never see him again; two, live my life and enjoy the times we'd be able to spend together, when he got a break; or three, go with him, have a hard and short life but one that would have him in it constantly. Well one wasn't an option; I loved him too much for that. So it was a choice between two and three. In the end I picked three so I wouldn't end up hating him."

"What" Sam yelped "how did you figure that?"

"Well, I could see it in my mind. He'd be gone for a while and my feelings would wane a bit, then he'd show up and I'd fall madly in love all over again. All those feelings that had faded would come back just as strong as ever. But then he'd have to leave again, and it would break my heart, losing him again. Not knowing where he was going or when he'd show up again. And each time my broken heart would heal, but it wouldn't be whole, just some scar tissue replacing the hole that had formed. And it would happen again and again and again. And every time he broke my heart a little more scar tissue would form and soon my joy would turn to bitterness because I would know that whenever he showed up, he would leave again and hurt me. Then all the love I had felt for him would have been leached away and only bitterness and anger left in its place. So I went with him. I've regretted that one wasn't an option on occasion, but for a vast majority of the time I've never been happier."

"But what if he gets hurt while you're there isn't it hard keeping the mission going if someone you love is hurt."

"Of course it is, but he's going to do his job if I'm there or not. Who better to care for him, or see that the job gets done than someone who loves him?"

"Don't you need some alone time though, do you get away from each other."

"Sure, if we want. I mean I could go be with friends or family while he does what he does; and I've done it before. But I worried the whole time. We get breaks; we just go off by ourselves. One good thing is I've gotten to see some of the most romantic spots in the world. So the travel is definitely a perk."

"Romantic huh, so which was your favorite?"

"Now that's a toughie, I guess my personal one was also the coldest. We stood on the summit of Mt Everest under a full moon. There was no wind, but it was so cold that all we could do was hold on to each other, but it was magical. The entire earth spread out below us. I never want to go again because there's no way it could top the first time."

"You two climbed Mt Everest?"

"Nah, we just popped up there. Remember, husband with some serious skills."

"Right" Sam said "I guess that would make it easier."

"So why haven't you told the Colonel how you feel about him?"

"Pretty much for the same reason that you just pointed out" Sam said. "If we started going out or anything, one of us would have to quit and we'd be separated. If anything happens I want to be there. I guess I care too much to leave him to someone else." Sam took on a serious look "if something ever does happen, I want to be there, I want to be the last thing he sees and hears before he dies. I couldn't handle it if he died and I wasn't there to hold him and let him know he was loved."

Dawn looked at the older woman and realized how much they did have in common. She reached out and took Sam's hand "I know exactly how you feel."

They just sat there comfortably together, each acknowledging the other as a friend, but not having to say it out loud. They didn't speak again until their watch was over. They said goodnight. Dawn went and snuggled down with her husband. Sam shot the girl a momentary look of jealousy and then went to wake her friend and the man she loved.

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The made the coast about five minutes after they took off, and the island was visible in another twenty. Everyone was looking out the ports to see if there was anything noteworthy. Ian had already given them directions to where the Ark was, but it was still smart to get as much information as they could. The one thing everyone noticed was that there were no cities, just villages separated by as much land as possible. Dawn figured that every village was a different clan. She looked at her husband "do you think the Ark will be guarded by the strongest clan?"

"Probably" he answered "that would be a source of honor for them." He turned to the others "despite the fact that they're evil, honor does matter to them. Admittedly it matters to some clans more than others but it is important to them all."

"So you're saying we're gonna have to take on the toughest bunch of guys on this island in order to get the Ark back" Jack asked.

"Pretty much" Ian replied.

"Any idea which kind that would be" Daniel asked.

"No clue actually" Ian said "we'll have to wait till we land."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth, when the whole ship was rocked by an explosion.

"We are under attack" Teal'C told them; rather unnecessarily Dawn thought.

"No kidding" Jack replied "Teal'C, go evasive, and get on the guns Sam."

Teal'C brought the ship around erratically just as Sam got the guns unlimbered. She opened up, but the shells were exploding before they got to the demon. "I'm not having any effect" Sam said.

"He's got some sort of protective barrier" Daniel said "probably magic".

"Whatever" Jack said and he turned to the Vatican's best "anything you all can do?"

Ian just gave a crazy grin and drawing Gabriel's dagger from its sheath said "banzai" and disappeared.

Dawn heard the firing slack off and yelled at Sam "keep firing, as a distraction." Then she dashed forward to see if her reckless husband was OK."

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He wasn't. Ian had teleported down hoping to surprise the demon/mage, but apparently the mage had been anticipating something like this because he attacked Ian almost as soon as he appeared. It didn't help his cause that suddenly there was a lull in the firing, so all the enemy's attention was on Ian, and not self preservation. When you combine that with a very effective shield, well it does cause a bit of tension if you have to deal with it. Ian shielded as best he could and attacked the barrier with Gabriel's dagger. The shield resisted even that, but not perfectly. Ian, as well as his enemy, was aware that the defenses could be breached; it was only a matter of time. That was the one thing the demon was denying him. Ian was forced to cease his assault on the shield in order to defend himself from both the mage and his henchmen. Ian turned from his assault on the mage to deal with the two other beings that were threatening him. They both came at him with axes; one came at him head on, the other to his right. Ian slipped his dagger to his left hand and drew a sword with his right. He parried a cut from the demon in front of him with his dagger and brought the sword down from it's over the shoulder draw and slashed the demon's chest from the left shoulder to the right hip. He continued the motion in a pirouette and cut through the other demon's neck.

Before the head hit the ground, he was back at work attacking the shield while his own protective magics took a battering. Apparently the mage realized that the shield would be breached before Ian had succumbed so he drew his weapons and dropped the shield. As soon as he did so, Ian teleported out of range and Sam opened up with the ship's guns. Two hits would have been sufficient to kill the thing, but the mage (or what was left of it) absorbed seven before Sam stopped firing.

Ian put his weapons away and was using his senses to sweep the area. He could feel the Ark; it gave off a thrumming, like a live power line was close to your skin. It scared him, that much raw power was truly terrifying, even to an angel. He turned as the glider came in for a landing. From the less than perfect control it was evident that the ship was in trouble. Ian had no idea how much damage it had absorbed before he had distracted the mage, he just hoped it wasn't too bad. Once it had stopped and the engines shut down, he walked over to the door, he was not perfectly steady.

Dawn was the first one out and noticed his exhaustion. "You're half out of it already, aren't you" she accused.

He didn't answer, he just nodded.

"You're not gonna let me go after it, are you" she asked.

Again, he just nodded.

Meanwhile Jack was talking to his team. "How bad's the damage?"

"Quite extensive O'Neill, we will need some time to repair it."

"Quick as you can Teal'C, Daniel, you and Sam stay here and help him." He looked over at the young couple "you feel like riding shotgun for a bit there Dawn Corleone."

Dawn groaned at this new abuse of her name but replied "sure Colonel, I'll keep em safe."

"Great, so it looks like it's up to us to go play fetch" Jack said, looking at Ian.

"Ready when you are Colonel" the young man replied. He then put is arms around Dawn in a warm hug. "I'll be fine Dawn, no problems."

"Be careful Mi Cuore" she said "I want you to remember me when you get back, promise."

"I promise Bella Alba" Ian finally spoke "I could never forget you." He looked up to see Jack. "OK Jack, you ready to play Indiana Jones?"

"Sure kid" Jack replied "it's what I live for."

"No" Ian said softly, looking back at the others "they're what you live for."

"Like I'm alone in that department" Jack said with a smirk. Then taking a firm hold of his M-4 he headed out after Ian, hoping that the people he loved would be alright without him; and that he would be alright without them.


	6. Indiana Jones Had it Easy

A/N First and foremost I'd like to thank everyone who had been enjoying my little story. Especially those who have taken the time to review it. I know this Chapter is a bit short, but it seemed like the right time to stop. There should be one more chapter and an epilogue following. Again, my thanks for letting my story into your heads, I can only hope it has somehow made your day better.

POE1911

GATE CRASHERS – CHAPTER 6

Dawn didn't like the situation one bit. She knew that they were in the territory of the most powerful demon clan on the island, and that there was only one layer of defense. 'Well, time to correct that' she thought.

"Hey Daniel, I need you to help me with something, that is if Teal'C can spare the help."

"Major Carter and I should be able to effect repairs ourselves" the Jaffa answered "Daniel Jackson is free to assist you if needed."

"Excellent, thank you Teal'C, but don't hesitate to yell if you need a hand."

The Jaffa just nodded and went back to work. Dawn walked out to observe the perimeter, there were some possibilities here.

"So what are we gonna do, boss" Daniel asked.

Dawn actually blushed at that, but then started talking "I was thinking we need a series of fox holes that start out and work in, that should slow them some, and I'd like to mount one of the ships guns on some sort of tripod. We need a heavy weapon to provide cover fire." She looked at the linguist "you wanna dig or work on the gun?"

"Actually the gun is more my speed, and I am familiar with the technologies."

"Good enough then" Dawn said, then turned back "just like I told Teal'C, yell if you need help."

"I will" Daniel replied, and the two of them went to work.

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Ian and Jack didn't have any trouble entering the place where the Ark was, however they hadn't gotten very far because the entryway was a maze. "Just great" Jack said "I hated doing these things when I was a kid."

"You and me both" Ian replied. He turned to Jack "you got anything to mark where we've been and the directions that we've gone?"

Grinning, Jack reached into a pouch and pulled out a tube of lipstick.

"Do I even want to know why you're carrying that" Ian asked.

"For emergencies like this" Jack answered with a superior air. This was totally ruined by the huge grin on his face. "Think about it, how likely will it be for anyone on this planet to have something like this on them?"

"Can't argue with that" Ian said.

Together they worked through the maze, taking quite a few wrong turns, but trying to hurry because they knew that they were here on borrowed time. Every second they spent retrieving the Ark meant it would be that much harder getting back. They were near the middle (although neither of them realized it) when they ran into another difficulty. Four difficulties to be precise. Ian groaned when he saw them because he recognized this particular type of demon. They were V'kortem demons, bullets could hurt them, but only silver would kill them. Jack saw them first, and opened up with his M-4. Under the cover of Jack's fire, Ian pulled his two swords and went at the demons, finishing up what O'Neill had started. In the middle of saving himself and Jack he was also praying that they were mercenaries or hirelings or slaves or something like that, he didn't want Dawn to have to face a horde of these things.

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Not bad, she thought, looking at the series of fox-holes that she had dug. They supported each other, and each had a clear field of fire, while providing maximum protection. Dawn had also done something else, each one had a small illusion cast on it, that would make it appear a little to one side of where it really was. She had modified the spell so it wouldn't affect humans, but the demons would be plenty flummoxed. She had thought about casting some area wide protection spell, but she had decided that stealth was the best way, and stealth meant small magics, the kind that wouldn't draw attention. Smiling at a job well done, she headed back to see if Daniel needed any help.

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Samantha Carter was frustrated and angry. Fortunately for all she was able to channel most of that into what she was doing, but that didn't prevent her from just being sour. She should be with Jack right now, not some kid that didn't know him from Adam. She had seen him in action, Sam knew the kid was good, but he didn't care for Jack the way she did, so he might not take proper care of Jack the way she would. Plus, she was a combat veteran, and now she was taking orders from some little girl who was just playing at soldier. Unable to hold it in any longer, she turned to Teal'C "do you think we should go after Jack"?

The Jaffa looked at her for a moment "I do not; I believe that O'Neill is with a very capable person, more capable than we in this situation. We are needed to make sure that the way back is available."

"Doesn't it bother you just a bit that we're taking orders from a couple of kids?"

"I confess it feels a bit uncomfortable at times, however, can you fault their instructions, or priorities?"

"No. I guess I'm just used to relying on ourselves. I suppose that them being here is making me feel a bit out of my depth. I mean demons and gods and thousand year old artifacts, it's a lot to take in."

"True Major, but could they effect repairs on this technology? I would suggest that they feel as much out of depth as you do yourself."

"Maybe Teal'C" Sam sighed "but I'll be glad when we're just dealing with the Goauld and it's just us."

"As will I Major" Teal'C answered.

Just at that moment, they heard a voice calling them from outside the ship. "Guys, you got a second, we need to talk about defense."

Sam just rolled her eyes a bit and walked out to see what the kid wanted.

Dawn explained the defensive layout she had constructed, and the scheme they would follow if they were attacked. "Daniel and I will have the gun ready to go in fifteen minutes or so, how about the ship?"

"It could fly now" Teal'C answered "but I would like to continue repairs anyway. In an hour everything should be restored to perfect order."

"Great" Dawn answered "as soon as we're done with the gun, Daniel can give you guys a hand and I'll go stand watch. There's one other thing" here the girl looked a bit uncomfortable "if we do get attacked do you three want any enhancements?"

"What do you mean enhancements" Sam asked.

"I could increase your speed and vision, a small protection spell, those kind of things."

"How long would they last" Daniel asked the girl.

"Less than twenty four hours" Dawn replied "I thought about just doing them, but that wouldn't be right, so I'm asking if you want them."

"The three SG-1 members looked at each other for a second "will it hurt" Sam asked finally.

"Not at all" Dawn assured the older woman "you won't feel anything".

"Should we do it now" Daniel suggested "before they attack."

"I thought about that one too" Dawn replied "but I thought it would be better to wait, doing that much magic would draw attention, which is something we don't want right now. If we're spotted and attacked, it won't matter anymore, but until then I'd like to hold off."

"All right" Sam spoke for the three of them "if we need it, feel free to enhance away."

"OK" Dawn said with a smile, then turning to Daniel said "let's get that gun finished". As the two of them left, Sam turned to see Teal'C with as much of a smile on his face as the Jaffa ever had. Seeing Sam's look of inquiry he said to her "as I said when we first met them, they are formidable."

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"What did she mean back there" Jack asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean Colonel?"

"She said 'I want you to remember me when you get back', is she that easily forgotten?"

Ian paused and let out a sigh, his energy reserves were lower than he'd like, and his feet hurt. They had fought four other groups of demons on their way through the maze. Fortunately these other groups had been more affected by bullets than the first bunch. "Some of the things I can do require power, something I have a lot of. However if those reserves get low, then I'm not capable of doing as much."

"That's pretty obvious" Jack said.

"True, but in an emergency I can access more power, like from a reserve tank."

"Again, that sounds pretty obvious."

"I know, but that access has a price."

"And what would the price be?"

"Memories"

"Memories" Jack asked, not sure that he's heard right.

"Yeah, the longer you dip into the reserve tank and the more power you use, the more memories are removed from you."

"Why memories" Jack asked, still not sure about what he was hearing.

"Memories are some of the most powerful things we have, so in a pinch I can burn them, like logs on a fire, but once they're gone, they're gone."

"What happens if you burn up all your memories?"

"Then you start using your raw emotions, if you do it long enough, you burn away your humanity, then you die, and another is called. It's like when you had those upgrades from the Tok'ra. Imagine if you hadn't eaten anything, the way your metabolism was stoked, your body would have consumed itself. It's pretty much the same thing for us."

"Now that I can understand" Jack said. Then he looked at the younger man "so what did you loose?"

"The first six years of my life, I mean there still is the occasional flash, but most of it is simply gone."

"Was it worth it?"

"Would you spend six years of memories to save the Major and the rest of your team?"

"Stupid question, huh?"

"No, but you knew the answer before you asked it" Ian said with a smile.

O'Neill looked at the young man for a moment and finally said "you ready to get going again?"

"Yeah" Ian answered time's a wastin'"

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The maze just ended in a flat wall. It wasn't quite what the two of them had expected. "Are you sure this is right" Jack asked.

"Yes, already" Ian said "notice the inscription. We didn't see that anywhere else."

"Great" Jack said "so what the heck does it say."

Ian looked at the wall 'To pass within you must speak the word of peace, for only through peace can you attain your goal'. "I guess that means just knocking the dumb thing down is out."

"Darn, that's usually one of my best things."

"I guess we'd better figure out what this 'word of peace' is, cause I don't feel like growing old here."

Ian tried all of the different Hebrew words for peace that he knew, different inflections and different dialects. Nothing happened. The young man just slumped down in defeat, the wall just wasn't moving. He looked up at Jack "any ideas"?

O'Neill just looked at him for a second and then said "Pax". Instantly the wall rose, revealing the passage beyond. Ian looked incredulous. Jack smirked for a second and said "the Romans controlled most of the ancient world, they were the only ones to bring peace to the world, it just figured." He grew uncomfortable as Ian just stared at him "alright, so I like the History Channel, happy now" Jack exclaimed, then he stalked off in a huff.

Shaking his head in awe at the Colonel, Ian led the way down the now open passage. They came to an archway with an oddly shaped room just past it. Jack was about to walk in when Ian grabbed him. He glared at the younger man "what's up, it's just a room."

"Maybe, Ian said; but that's an inscription" he said, pointing at the wall.

Jack paused and looked at the wall next to the arch, sure enough there was writing there. "What does it say?"

"Only in the path of the chosen will you find that which you seek."

"Any idea as to what that means" Jack asked.

"Possibly" Ian responded as he looked into the room, the shape was indeed odd, not regular at all. And the floor was not level, there were things that looked like mountains and sand dunes and oases scattered about. It reminded him of when he was a kid and constructed dioramas with model airplanes. Then it hit him "the room is a map" he said.

"What do you mean, a map" Jack asked.

"It's a model, a diorama of the Arabian peninsula" Ian said. "And if that's the case then all we have to do is retrace the Hebrew people's wandering to find the Ark."

"Great" Jack exclaimed "but how do we know their route through this thing. In case you hadn't noticed, we weren't there; nobody currently alive was."

"Not a problem" Ian said "just follow the clues."

"Clues" Jack said, completely lost "where the heck did they leave clues."

Ian rummaged in his pack for a second and pulled out a book "check out chapter two" the man said "it should tell us everything we need to know."

Jack opened the book to the chapter indicated and read one word, 'Exodus'. He turned to Ian with a smile "then let's get going".

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'Well, that's got it started' Dawn thought. She was using her enhanced sight to examine the area around the demon's corpse. She had seen it when it was two miles away, she had hoped it would turn away, but it kept coming straight for them, with a most determined stride. She had waited until it was fifteen hundred yards away, and then punched its ticked with her .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle. The huge hollow point bullet had completely blown the creature's chest away. It had stayed on its feet looking startled before it collapsed in the brush. Dawn hoped that the body would be hard to locate, buying them some more time, but she didn't think that was a likely scenario. She glanced back in the direction that Jack and Ian had headed off, still no sign of them and still no mind contact either. That was what scared her the most, they hadn't really been out of contact with each other since that day at the Trevi fountain; God that seemed so long ago, and yet at the same time it seemed like yesterday. She shook her head to get her focus back. She debated telling the others for a moment, but dismissed it. They were still making repairs and she didn't want to distract them. The one bit of good news, in her opinion, was that these demons seemed vulnerable to regular bullets, that was a major plus for the SG-1 team.

Dawn thought about the people that she was currently working with, and was surprised to admit that she liked them as much, if not more, than the slayers that she had dealt with in the past. Maybe there should be some sort of permanent liaison between the two groups, she thought it would certainly give Faith a new challenge and shake the Stargate folks up a bit as well. She went back to scanning the horizon, no additional hostiles, yet.

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They had followed the right path, well with one misstep; which fortunately Ian was quick enough to rectify. Now, here they were at the end, and nothing was happening. They were standing in front of a mountain, at least a model of a mountain, there were no more clues, but no Ark and no idea about what to do next. Jack had moved around to the back, hoping that there was something that they'd missed when he heard a slap and a muted "of course".

"What have ya got kid?"

"Do you have a lighter or matches or anything like that" Ian asked.

"Sure" Jack said, pulling out an old Zippo "here ya go" and he tossed the lighter to the Vatican agent. "So what brainwave did ya have?"

"Remember the bible" Ian said with a smirk "what's the story of the ten commandments without a burning bush." And with that he lit a bit of greenery on fire. For a moment there was nothing, but then the sound of stone grinding on stone could be heard. A blinding light erupted out of the ceiling, and a stone platform descended. After a minute, an object could be seen on it, and eventually details were discernable. It was a simple chest, but O'Neill thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Almost against his will he moved forward to touch the thing, but he was restrained by Ian. "We can't touch it" the young man told Jack "it would kill us. Humans weren't meant to come in contact with it."

"So how do we get it out" Jack asked.

Wordlessly Ian pointed at the two poles that were also on the platform. After about five minutes of slow descent, the platform came to rest on the floor. The instant it stopped moving the blinding light went out, and flashed upwards.

"Now that can't be a good thing" Jack said.

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Fortunately Dawn was looking away when the hill erupted with a huge flare of light. 'Well, so much for secrecy" the girl thought, then she called for the rest of the team to take up their positions. As they were moving out she cast her enhancement charms on them. She hoped it would be enough to insure their survival. Then she sat back and tried to think if there was anything else she could do. Her musings were interrupted by the sight of a large number of demons on the horizon. She gave a wolfish smile and shouldered her rifle, it was time to go to war.

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Jack and Ian were hurrying as best they could. The problem was that it was not easy maneuvering the Ark through the maze, some of the corners were very tight. Trying to maneuver an object through the maze was difficult enough, but to not be able to touch the thing made it ten times worse. They had just cleared the last of the bad turns when Ian stopped and stiffened up.

"What is it" Jack asked.

"Listen" Ian replied "do you hear something?"

Jack listened for a moment or two and finally said "it sounds like thunder."

Ian looked back at him "its feet, lots and lots of feet, I think it's time we hid and prayed."

"That's your plan, hiding and praying" Jack shot back.

"At first" the younger man replied. "When most of them are past here, we make a break for it and hope that the others still have a way clear for us."

"What about these guys, if they decide to chase us?"

"I mined the entrance" Ian said a trifle smugly "once we're clear there won't be any pursuit, at least not from these guys."

"Alright then" Jack said "hide and pray it is."

The two men found a cul-de-sac nearby and Ian put up an illusory wall, to discourage the casual observer; he figured that something low level like that was more likely to be ignored. Once that was done, he did indeed pray, but not for himself; he prayed that the others, one other in particular, would be OK."

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The SG-1 team had engaged at maximum range, trying to slow the advance of the demon horde, and to show who was in charge. Dawn, armed with her sniper rifle, was doing her best to pick off the leadership; she hoped this would slow them down even more. What she couldn't do anything about, and what had scared her the most, was the large group that had headed for the caverns where the Ark (and Ian and Jack) was. The demons had been slowed, and the illusions she had cast on the foxholes was fooling them so far. Dawn scanned the field again, and not seeing anyone in an obvious leadership role, she discarded her rifle for the ships heavy gun. It was time to do some real damage. Part of her wanted to go and save her husband and her new friend. But she knew that their best chance of survival was keeping the ship in tact. So she would stay here, waiting for them until the position became untenable. If Ian and Jack had not yet turned up with the Ark she would send the rest of SG-1 back through the wormhole, but she would stay here. In her mind, if Ian died here, then there was no place she'd rather be. She looked around her for a moment, the sky looked thunderous, and the humidity was awful, but she was doing her job with some good friends; the Klingons were right, she mused as she started firing the big gun at clusters of demons, this was a good day to die.


	7. Back Home Again

GATE CRASHER'S – CHAPTER 7

Unfortunately for the SG-1 team, demonic hordes are not the most organized groups in the galaxy, so Dawn taking out what leadership there was, didn't change things a whole lot. However the enhanced vision and speed that she'd given them did. Combine that with the girl's position above, so she could see the entire field, and they were in pretty good shape, for now.

The presence of the big gun also changed the dynamics a bit. It broke up large concentrations of the creatures, forcing them to operate individually. This made them easier for the SG-1 team to pick off. And they were doing that, the slaughter was already fearful, however there were an awful lot of demons to deal with.

Dawn noted almost absently that the forward positions would soon be over-run. They had been placed far out solely for the purpose of breaking up any momentum that the demons might have had. They were too far apart for mutual support, so they needed to fall back to the second line.

"Sam, fall back now" Dawn said over her com "then when I give the word Teal'c, you fall back to line two as well, and then Daniel will be tail end Charlie; I'll keep you all covered." Dawn watched as the blond woman moved back towards the second line of foxholes. Sam never turned; she always kept her face and weapon towards the demons. Seeing an enemy flee, or so they thought, naturally made all the demons move towards that position, meaning that they crowded together. Dawn used this lapse in judgment to immolate as many demons as possible with the ship's gun. The howls and shrieks of the injured and dying combined with the stench of roasting meat sickened Sam, to the point where she nearly puked but she completed falling back and settled into her new hole. When she arrived, she found a present for her in the shape of a grenade launcher. Rising up she proceeded to continue Dawn's work while the girl turned the gun to support Teal'C.

Soon both Teal'C and Daniel were in their new holes, and both had found presents similar to the one that Sam had. The heavy weapons and mutually supporting positions allowed the visitors to continue their structured form of murder. The field in front of them was a charnel ruin of bodies, and parts of bodies, and yet the demons still came on, seemingly as numerous as before; and Dawn knew that despite how well they were doing, it would soon be time to fall back again, coming that much closer to the point of no return.

Dawn took a second to glance over to where Ian and Jack would be coming from, trying to will them into appearance. Unfortunately it did no good, so with a sigh she returned to keeping her new friends alive as best she could.

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"So we've done the hide and pray thing, now what kid" Jack asked.

"We're gonna have to rig this thing so that you can drag it without using your hands. We both make a break for it, and if needed, I do the rear guard thing while you high-tail it out of here. Once you're out, you rig the detonator; then I pop out and we seal them in. Then we bust it for the ship and hope that we can get there, and it's ready to fly."

"You could have just said 'we run like hell', it would have meant the same thing."

"True, but what I said sounded more thought out."

"There is that" Jack said with a shrug "so what do we use on these handles?"

Ian took off his web gear and stripped his shirt off "this ought to do on my end, and you can use my belt for your end".

"OK" O'Neill said and the two of them quickly rigged the Ark so it could be dragged by one person.

"Let's do this" Ian said and the two of them crept out of their cul-de-sac and headed for the exit. It was a couple of minutes before they were seen, but when they were it got bad really fast.

"Go" Ian yelled, and turned to buy Jack the time he needed. For his part Jack was thinking jus how heavy the darn thing was, but he dug in and started moving again, gaining speed as he went. Jack was so focused on pulling the Ark that he almost missed the two guards that were at the entrance, almost but not quite. Still dragging the Ark with his left hand, he unlimbered his M-4 with his right and started hosing the demons down. Gore and entrails coated the walls as he kept firing even though his targets had stopped moving, he wasn't taking any chances. As he neared the entrance he glanced back over his shoulder. His young partner was holding the line, but barely so. Jack had never seen anyone move as fast as Ian was, yet the young man still had several wounds on his body already. Jack wasn't sure how much longer the kid could hold out, so he put on a burst of speed and dragging the Ark, made it out into the sunlight.

He kept going till he felt that he was out of the blast zone. He let go of the Ark and ran back to the entrance and yelled "clear" to his young partner. Ian didn't turn to face him, but he answered 'I'm out' in Jack's head.

Jack picked up the detonator and sprinted back to the Ark. Just as he got there, Ian materialized and just sagged to the ground. Jack didn't hesitate and hit the go button on the detonator. The explosives ripped through the entrance to the storage area, and sealed the demons inside, at least for a bit. The two men just looked at each other for a second, the each one grabbing and end they headed off towards the ship.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Dawn was getting ready to redeploy again, when she heard the roar of the explosives. She glanced quickly in that direction and saw two people coming towards her with a box slung in between them. Realizing that they were on their way, she altered her plans somewhat. "Sam, fall back now. Teal'C, when I tell you, fall back two holes so you're right by the ship. Daniel, can you hold out there for another five minutes?"

"I should be able to" Daniel replied.

"Then do that, but be careful. Jack and Ian are on their way so watch where you're aiming. Once they pass you, fall back and cover them. Same thing with you Sam, once the party is past you, fall back providing cover fire. Does everyone understand?"

After getting three affirmatives, she said "OK Teal'C, Sam is in place time for you to move." As the Jaffa was hurrying back to his next position, Dawn glanced again at the two people hurrying in their direction. She tried to will them more speed as she turned back to killing demons and making sure they all got out alive.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For Jack and Ian, the trip seemed to take forever. They were carrying the Ark one handed while they out cleared the few demons in their way with their guns. Jack didn't know how the kid was holding up; he just knew that he was about at the end of his rope. He was still moving when he noticed that they now had an escort. Daniel was behind them keeping the demons away. Realizing they were close to home, the two men put on more speed. As Sam joined them, Ian called Daniel over and handed him the makeshift handle they were using to transport the Ark, and the younger man went off to get Dawn. Sam and finally Teal'C were providing fire as the two SG-1 members hauled their prize into the ship, and soon they were joined by one of the Vatican agents, but Dawn didn't look very happy. She took over Teal'C's position as the Jaffa went to the controls to get them off the ground.

"Where's Ian" Sam yelled over.

"He's manning the gun until we're off, then he's gonna pop in." Dawn answered, even though the girl looked happy Sam could tell that Dawn wasn't pleased with this turn of events. Sam was reminded of the times that Jack had done something similar. Shrugging to herself she went back to her job of keeping the bad guys at bay.

Sam could feel the engines firing up through the vibrations in the ship's hull. Very soon after that Jack and Daniel had joined the two women in keeping the demons clear of the ship. Finally they were ready to lift off and Teal'C yelled back for them to close the hatch. As it was closing everyone felt the ship lift off from the ground. They had been in the air a few seconds, when all the sudden, Ian was among them, looking very tired. He looked like he was about to say something when a hand shot out and slapped him in the back of the head.

"What were you trying to prove you moron" Dawn yelled at him "how even Angel's could die."

Ian turned towards her with a hang-dog expression, but also a twinkle of mirth in his eyes. "I was doing what was needed, you know that."

"Oh" Dawn exclaimed "and how are you so positive that I knew that."

"Because if you disagreed you would have never left me alone there" he replied.

Dawn just stood there for a moment, her mouth moving but no sound coming out. Finally she dropped down to the deck and held her husband, sobbing the entire time "I was so worried" she repeated over and over.

"I know you were Bella Alba, but its part of the job, you know that. And you better believe I was worried the entire time we were gone." Dawn just nodded and started running her hands over Ian's body, healing the wounds that were there.

"So how did the retrieval go" she asked.

"Despite Jack slowing us down" Ian began.

"Me slowing us down" Jack immediately shot back "who didn't know 'Pax'?"

"OK" Ian said with a grin "despite Jack getting lucky once". The young man was silenced again by another yell of outrage.

"I require assistance" Teal'C called from the front, and with those words, all the light-heartedness went out of the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They all moved to the front and looked out the viewing ports; no-one could believe what they were seeing. There were Jaffa everywhere, in the woods and even in the clearing around the Stargate; in the sky they could see gliders headed their way.

"What do you suggest O'Neill" Teal'C asked.

Jack looked at Ian "it's your party what do you think?"

Ian studied the ground around the Stargate for a moment. Finally he knelt down beside Teal'C and pointed "bring us in that way, strafing as we come in. I want the nose as close to that cliff as you can get, that way we only have to deal with a treat from one direction."

"And what are we gonna do when we land, ask everyone else to leave" Jack asked.

"No" Ian said "the four of you will cover Dawn and myself, we'll drag our passenger out and then I'll show em what's inside."

Sam and Daniel both blanched at Ian's words, they had studied the Ark and had read about its capabilities. Dawn answered with an emphatic "no, there has to be another way."

Ian turned to her and said "I wish there were Bella Alba, but it's the only way."

"But why you" the woman persisted.

"Because I'm the only one that has a chance of surviving it" Ian answered with perfect logic.

"I don't like it" Dawn said, her eyes tearing up.

"Neither do I beautiful" Ian cooed, stroking her cheek "but sometimes you've got to play the hand you're dealt."

Jack looked at the two silently for a moment, then turned to Teal'C and said "do what the kid said."

Everyone braced themselves as Teal'C brought the glider around, and tried to bring it in on the proper course. Jack was manning the weapons and was clearing their way in, hoping that the young man knew what he was doing. Eventually they were too close to the ground for the guns to be useful anymore, so he braced himself like everyone else. The glider hit with a jolt and bounced a time or two, eventually skidding to a stop almost exactly where Ian had hoped. It was a short way to the Stargate, now all they had to do was get through an army of Jaffa.

The SG-1 team was busy getting their weapons ready and Dawn and Ian were freeing the Ark from it's protective bindings when Ian addressed them all "when I yell 'now' I want all of you to drop to the ground and close your eyes, no matter what you hear or feel, keep them closed."

"Why" Jack asked.

"So you'll live through it" Ian replied.

"And all of the Jaffa out there that don't know to close their eyes" Jack asked.

"Won't be a problem anymore" Ian told him with grim finality.

"And what about you?"

"I might survive, which is better odds than anyone else here, the rest of you definitely wouldn't survive."

"OK" Jack said, and hit the switch that opened the cargo hatch. As soon as the hatch opened, fire erupted from the tree-line across from them. Moving with the assurance that comes from fighting together over years and trusting each other, the SG-1 team laid down a suppressive fire and moved out of the ship; forming a supporting perimeter.

Ian and Dawn came out with the Ark supported between them. They were each using one hand to support the Ark and a pistol in their other hand. They added their fire to the SG-1 team's and kept firing until they were empty. Then Ian turned to the Ark and morphed into his angelic self. He reached for the lid, but Dawn stopped him for the moment. There were tears in her eyes as she poured holy water over his hands, providing an additional protection.

"Thank you" he said.

"Keep yourself alive" she replied and kissed his cheek.

He just nodded and then yelled "Now".

Dawn and the SG-1 team all hit the ground and closed their eyes. Jack heard a sound, like the arc of a tazer; and a scream from Ian. Both of these things didn't quite mask the scrape of wood on wood and suddenly Jack's senses were overloaded. When he tried to describe it later, the only thing he could say was that it was like an explosion, but with no sound. Daniel felt as though an intense X-Ray had passed over his body, leaving his skin itchy. Sam felt as though her entire body was being washed over by warm water, like a gentle wave was breaking over her. Dawn felt nothing but worry.

After what seemed like an interminable time, but was only about five seconds, the sound of wood on wood was heard again, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. Dawn was instantly there cradling her husband's body in her arms, tears cascading down her face. Sam was there an instant later, making sure that the Vatican agent was still alive. He was, but he was burned on his face and arms, it reminded Sam of radiation burns. What really surprised her was that Ian's wings were still deployed; she had thought that they would have receded after he lost consciousness.

Jack was watching the tree-line and the sky. The gliders that he saw appeared to be totally out of control, like the pilots had been killed or incapacitated; but more importantly there was no fire coming from the trees, or anywhere else for that matter.

He turned and looked at Dawn. "What did that thing do?"

"They were destroyed because they couldn't handle exposure to God's light" Daniel answered for her "the contents of the Ark are relics of the Creator's direct contact on this plane of existence; our minds are not capable of surviving exposure to that."

"So it drove everyone mad" Jack asked.

"No, it blasted their souls, it burned out their minds" Daniel told him.

Jack felt an icy finger travel up his spine. He shook it off and got back to business. "OK, we seem to have a clear path to the gate, Daniel you help me with the Ark, Teal'C carry our wounded team-mate, and Sam, you make sure Dawn makes it."

The team moved quietly and efficiently. They made their way over to the DHD and dialed up Earth. The wormhole was quickly established and SG-1 started up the ramp. 'The mission was a success' Jack thought but as he looked at the figure in Teal'C's arms and the distraught woman that Sam was practically carrying and he had to wonder if success was worth the price.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

AN UNKNOWN TIME, AN UNKNOWN PLACE

Ian's eyes slowly fluttered open, not exactly sure where he would find himself. At first the light hurt and he winced, but as he became accustomed to it, he examined his surroundings and became confused. He had expected to see either Dawn or Heaven (although in his opinion they were the same thing), but instead he found himself in something that resembled a conference room. His eyes swept the room, looking for some clue that would tell him where he was, but there was nothing, the room was completely nondescript.

"A little confusion is to be expected" said a voice behind him.

Ian whipped around, and was blinded for a moment, whoever or whatever had just spoken seemed to be made of light. In a second or two the light faded and Ian could see that he was in the room with a person of uncertain gender, and this person was carrying a sword.

"Michael" he said finally.

"Yes little brother" he/she said "how are you?"

"Still confused" Ian replied "I expected Earth or Heaven, not somewhere else."

"Well, you're not quite dead yet" the Archangel responded "you soul has left your body, but your body has yet to die."

"So I'm in Limbo" Ian said "isn't that just peachy".

"It could be worse" Michael replied.

"I suppose" Ian said, but then he got a gleam in his eyes "you said my body wasn't dead yet, didn't you?"

"That is true."

"Could you send me back, just to say goodbye" Ian begged.

"I have the power to do so" Michael said "that isn't the problem."

"Then what is?"

"I'm just not sure how popular the move would be with the boss."

"Come on Michael, I've got to see her just one more time, you both owe me that."

Michael sat for a minute and finally looked up "very well" she/he said "and tell her thank you from us as well, please." With that he gestured with his right hand and Ian felt as though he had been punched in the chest. Then it all went black.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Doctor Frasier was worried. Dawn just sat there, never leaving her husband's side. She had talked to the girl on a couple of occasions and told her that the odds of him coming out of it, even for a moment were microscopic. She shuddered at the memory of the look the young woman had given her, and the flat implacable expression in her voice when she said "if there's a way, he'll find it. And I will be here when he does." That was the end of it. Some people from the Vatican had come and taken away whatever SG-1 had brought back with it. Janet had seen Dawn talk to the men for a moment. They had just nodded and left. So there Dawn sat, barely moving, barely eating, barely sleeping; a tired sentinel on an improbable watch.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For Dawn, there was no realization of how long she had been there. She remembered the Vatican people coming to speak to her. She had thanked them for their concern and asked them to ask the Cardinal to say a mass of healing for her husband. They had agreed and left her to herself. The doctor had been by a couple of times, but Dawn believed that she had finally managed to scare the doc off. She just sat and remembered her time with the man in front of her; the happy and the scary, the great and the awful, the last seven years, the years that they had been together. She had tried to figure out if she had any regrets, anything that she would have done differently given the chance. She couldn't think of one, and that was amazing to her. Seven years and no regrets, well except for the regret that it had to end. She could better understand how he had felt all those years ago, the first time she had been shot. She had been furious with the way he had reacted, but now she was feeling many of the same things that he had, the sorrow and the helplessness.

Apparently she had drifted off, because there was something tickling her face. Idly she shooed it away, only to have it come back on the other side, she heard a bit of a rustle and opened her eyes. There was a wing in her face, the end stroking her cheeks. She looked around it, into the open eyes of the man she loved. "You're as beautiful as I remember Bella Alba" he said, his voice hoarse from disuse.

Tears pouring down her cheeks, she flung herself forward and took his face in her hands, nearly smothering him with kisses. "They said you'd never wake up" she finally managed.

"And you didn't believe them" he said with conviction "that's my girl, stubborn to the end.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As soon as Ian opened his eyes, two others were aware of what was going on. A message was sent and a decision made. 'Time to get to work' they both thought.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Buffy was in her office at Slayer Central in Mondoneido, another class was moving through. It had gotten a bit harder over the years. Now it wasn't just newbies coming through, now older slayers were coming through for refresher training and to learn new things, like group tactics. So the way they were trained had to change, and it was a full time job for Buffy, keeping up with all that. She was reviewing the girl's progress reports when she realized that she wasn't alone anymore. She looked up to see a face that she knew, but who wasn't really welcome; it was William, the newest Seraph. Buffy felt a momentary stab of pain through her heart; William had been called after Daniel had been killed.

His death had hurt Buffy more than she was willing to admit. Buffy had met the man when he had been there recovering from being tortured at the hands of Ethan Rayne. She had been attracted to him, not only because of his looks, but because of the serenity that seemed to hang on him like an invisible coat. Serenity was something that she needed in her life, and he had helped her with that. After Xander's wedding, they had spent more and more time together. She had even gone on missions with him, much like her sister, protecting him when he was in danger. They had become closer than ever after one night in the cold, hiding from an angry demon horde. Buffy had thought she had finally found someone to share her life with. That had all come to an end one day when Janice had shown up with tears in her eyes. Buffy had known instantly why she was there. It had been random, just some stray bullet in the middle of some minor skirmish in a country that she couldn't even find on a map if she had to. Janice had asked Buffy to train William, so the boy could defend himself. Buffy had agreed, and had trained the boy, but every moment around him had hurt. Work had gotten her through the worst of the hurt, but William would always be a reminder of what had been lost.

All of this shot through her head in a fraction of a second "what can I do for you William" she asked.

The boy flinched at the woman's tone, well aware of its source, but he put that aside "Ian is in dire need of your help" he said.

"What's the matter; is Dawn alright?"

"Dawn is as well as can be expected" William answered "Ian is on the brink of death. He can be saved, but I will need the help of both you and Willow. And it must be willing help for this to work. So if either of you don't feel right about helping him, tell me now."

Buffy sat back, she had been mad about what had occurred in Berlin, but after a long conversation with Giles, and an even longer one with Faith, Buffy had realized why Ian had done what he had done. She might not like it, but she had done similar things herself; besides she owed him a hundred times over for the favors he had done for her in the past. "I have no problem with helping, let's go ask Willow."

With that, the two of them made their way to Willow's room. The red headed witch looked up from the Chinese scroll she was reading, and listened to what the young man asked. "What do you need from us" she asked.

"Power" William said simply "Janice and I don't have enough to do this by ourselves".

Willow thought for a moment more and then just nodded "then let's get moving" she said walking over to the other two. They all joined hands and disappeared.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Faith was standing in a corridor of Meridia Huron Hospital, maternity ward. Amanda had gone into labor in the middle of the night, and after only six hours of labor had given birth to a son, Michael Ian Finn. Faith grinned at how proud Ian would be to find that Riley had named his son after him. She suddenly felt the atmosphere of the corridor change, and looked around. She broke into a grin of her own, at first, when she saw Janice; but the look on the girls face removed Faith's grin instantly. "What's up little sis" the dark haired slayer asked.

"Faith, it's Ian, he's nearly dead and we need your help."

Faith was rocked for a second, she had known Ian to be hurt from time to time, hell it happened in their line of work, but she had never seen Janice this desperate, whatever it was, it was bad. She thought about the two of them, and how they had helped each other over the years. How he had encouraged and believed in her, even when she didn't believe in herself. How she had helped him fight the darkness that he carried in his soul. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if he died and she hadn't done anything. "Just a second" she told Janice.

Faith walked over to Sohalia, one of the slayers that was helping her guard Riley and his family "something just came up kid, call Jenn and tell her to get her butt down here now; I'll be back when I can."

The Middle Eastern girl just nodded her head and pulled out her cell phone. Seeing this, Faith turned back to Janice and said "let's get moving."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Dawn" Ian said "could you lock and bar the door. I've got about five minutes here and I don't want to spend it fighting off Doc Frasier, when she wants to know why her instruments suddenly went off the chart."

Understanding, despite what he had said about five minutes; Dawn got up, closed and locked the door; then placing her hand over the lock she muttered a few words and came back to her husband's side, While she had turned away, his wings had disappeared, and he looked much more like his old self.

"I don't want you to go" she said, tears pouring out of her sky blue eyes.

"Believe me" Ian replied "this isn't what I want either, but I knew the risks."

"Why did you have to do it, why did you have to open the Ark?"

"Because it was the only way we would get to the Stargate alive. There were five hundred troops in the woods, not to mention the aircraft. Honestly I'm surprised we even survived long enough for me to open the thing."

Dawn thought for a moment, she had known it was bad, but she hadn't realized just how bad their situation had been. "I know" she said "and before you quote Star Trek at me about the needs of the many, I understand why you did what you did, I just wish there had been some other way, or that the consequences were different."

"So do I Bella Alba" Ian said, pulling his wife onto the bed and hugging her fiercely. "I'm not afraid of what comes after, but I just wish I had more time with you. To me you are everything in the world that's good, and having any existence without you in it is a step down."

"I'm scared" Dawn said suddenly "how will I live without you."

"You'll do fine" Ian said "Buffy and the others will always be there for you, no matter what."

"But how will I live without my heart" the girl asked forlornly.

"You'll have your heart, and mine as well" Ian replied "you'll never be alone."

They were holding each other when power flared in the room and five people appeared. Dawn looked up "Buffy, what are you doing here?"

"We're here to help" Janice answered the girl as she moved over to where Ian was.

"Isn't that breaking the rules" Ian asked with a bit of a smirk.

"Well if we had asked and been told no, then I guess it would be" Janice replied.

"But since you didn't ask" Ian said "all bets are off."

"Exactly" William replied.

"But why" Ian asked.

Janice looked at him "do you remember what you said to me when Dawn was shot? You said that 'even if I have to ignore or break the rules, I'll never let you down', so why would you expect any less of us?"

"I guess I shouldn't" Ian said with a grin.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Janet Frasier was frantic, or as frantic as she ever got. Something was happening, something that made no sense to her. She had been monitoring her patient's condition, he was in a deteriorating coma; when suddenly something like a power surge had occurred, and when it cleared up her equipment was showing that the patient was in perfect health. She had rushed down to see what was going on, only to find that for some reason the door to the treatment room wouldn't open, despite everything that she tried. She had looked in the window once to see that the man's wife was holding him. She had looked again a few seconds later to see that the room was now full of people. How the heck had they gotten there when she couldn't, and what were they doing with her patient.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So what are you gonna do to me" Ian asked.

"It's a power sharing thing, like what you and Daniel did to bring me back. We just needed more power than what William and I possess, so we rounded up some volunteers."

"OK Ian, you lay back, and Dawn, you put one hand on his forehead and another on his heart. Dawn took her position and Janice spoke again "now we make a circle with Dawn, everyone joining hands." And they made a circle; Janice at Dawn's left shoulder then Faith, Buffy, Willow and finally William at Dawn's right shoulder. "Now this is gonna hurt" Janice said, and triggered the sharing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Janet had been looking in the window to see what was happening. To her it looked like some old-fashioned 'laying on of hands' that a televangelist would do; but then the light had started coming from the people and she looked away. The light got brighter and brighter, then suddenly it was gone. She looked back in the room, and there was just the patient and his wife. She was just sitting there holding him, but he looked worlds better. She tried the door, and to her surprise found that it opened easily. She burst in shouting "where did everyone else go"?

"Who are you talking about" the girl asked.

"The other people that I saw in here" doctor Frasier insisted.

"Doc, it's just us" the man (Ian if she remembered correctly) said.

Janet looked around wildly "but you, them, they were all standing around" the doctors eyes tore wildly around the room, confirming that the three of them were in fact alone.

"Are you alright, Doctor" the girl asked.

Janet Frasier just looked at her hands for a moment and sighed "you know, I'm not really sure" she said, and left the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So what is your professional opinion, doctor" General Hammond asked.

"Short answer is that it's a miracle sir. Barring further examination I'm going to have to go with that."

"You're saying that there is no way he should be alive right now."

"Yes sir, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Hammond sighed and looked at his desk for a second "thank you doctor; that will be all."

Janet saluted and left, almost as confused as when she came in.

After the doctor had left Hammond turned to Jack O'Neill "so what is your opinion Colonel?"

"Honestly sir, I think the doctor is entirely correct."

"You think he was miraculously cured?"

"Remember who we're dealing with sir, a miracle is certainly within their jurisdiction."

"Agreed Colonel, I'm just not sure how to write that up in a report."

"And people wonder why I don't want your job" Jack said with a smirk, saluted and left.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After a day of being poked and prodded, Ian was released from Janet's care and into Dawn's. Less than half an hour later Ian was standing in Hammond's office with his wife.

"I take it that you're leaving us?"

"Yes General, we've got things that need our attention."

"Well, I wanted to thank you both for the help that you gave us."

"Your welcome sir, but from our perspective you were the ones that helped us. If you ever need our assistance, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you both, I'll remember that."

Hammond saluted, and the two youngsters returned it and left.

Hammond sat back down behind his desk, he fervently hoped that he never needed their particular help again, but it was comforting to know that it was there if any of his teams needed it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They found the SG-1 Team together in the common rooms, they had known when Ian was getting out and had been waiting for the pair.

"Listen" Jack said "I'm not much good at saying stuff, but here goes. You two are welcome any time you want a spot on this team." And with that he handed them both an SG-1 team patch. "It's not much" Sam added "but it's from the heart."

"Thank you" Ian said "we're both very honored; and since we're giving out gifts" he gestured to Dawn. She reached into her bag and withdrew four silver fighting knives. She handed them to the SG-1 team and said "just in case you run into something that we're used to dealing with"

Team SG-1 thanked the two for the knives and hugs and handshakes were exchanged, then the two groups went their separate ways; both to fight the good fight.


	8. Crowning the Pieces

GATE CRASHERS – EPILOGUE

VATICAN CITY

Brother Ambrose tried not to think too much about what he did here in the archives. He and his fellow archivists in this section had taken to calling themselves the Unspeakables, after those characters in the Harry Potter books. That was because they were forbidden to speak about what they stored in this section. Brother Ambrose really didn't mind working where he did; there usually wasn't much to do so he had plenty of time to work on his doctorate in linguistics. His mind wandered to what might be behind the different doors that he passed, after all just because he couldn't talk about something didn't stop him from thinking about it. Most of the doors were sealed and had dates placed on them; dates that these doors were to be opened. The room he was looking for was just up ahead. He paused and pulled out an elaborate key and unlocked and opened the door. A rush of air greeted him, the door was tightly sealed; in addition a musty smell came out of the room as well. He quickly rolled the cart in and just left it there, per his instructions. There was an elaborately carved wooden box on the cart, one that he had been specifically instructed not to touch. As he left he mused that the contents of the room were pretty plain when compared to the riches that were stored upstairs. Other than the wooden chest there were a few bolts of cloth, some large pieces of wood that had been leaned up against the back wall; some scrolls a Roman spear and a cup. As he left Brother Ambrose smiled to think that this little room was truly the heart of Christendom on Earth.

STARGATE COMMAND

SG-1 was returning from their latest mission. They had prevented one of their allies from being exterminated as their planet was being reshaped by an artificial intelligence. There had been some very tedious negotiations and a lot of stress. All four members of the team were looking forward to some down-time. They were on their way to the debriefing room when Sergeant Walter passed them and said "nice wheels". All four looked at the man, but he just kept walking. They heard similar comments from three other people before they made it to the room; and now they were thoroughly confused. "Any idea what that is all about" Jack asked.

"No idea" Daniel replied.

General Hammond walked in, and took their report. When they were done, Jack asked him "do you know why people would be making comments like 'nice wheels' to us?"

"You don't know" the General replied "then I suggest you check the motor pool on your way out."

The four friends looked at each other, still a bit confused, but they saluted and left. They made their way to the upper levels wondering what they'd find there. When they arrived at the motor pool, the first thing they noticed was Siler, practically drooling.

"What's got you so worked up Siler" Jack asked.

"Someone must really like you guys."

"Why would you say that" Sam asked.

Siler just gestured and they saw four motorcycles, matched Harley Davidson's that were dark blue with their names on the tanks. "Who sent them" Jack asked with an incredulous voice.

"This note came with them" Siler said and handed Jack a piece of paper. As Siler was handing him the note, Jack noticed that there was a jacket strapped to the back of each bike; a jacket that looked exactly like the ones Ian and Dawn had worn when they first arrived.

He opened the note as the others checked out their motorcycles and read:

_Hey Jack;_

_Hope you like the bikes. It's kind of mandatory now that you're part of the group. I appreciate all you did for us and the help you gave us. Don't hesitate to call if you need our kind of help again, and feel free to stop by if you happen to be in the neighborhood. Anyway thanks again for everything and I hope to see you around sometime._

_Ian and Dawn_

_P.S. There's a medallion in Sam's jacket, if you all are really in a tight spot while you're away from home (you know what I mean); have her say that phrase three times and you'll get help. It might not be the friendliest help, but it will come. Thanks again._

"Well guys, it looks like we're part of the gang now, and Carter" Sam looked up at him "there's a medallion in your jacket, I want you to keep it around your neck at all times".

Sam looked at it for a moment "what is it sir"?

"Insurance, or so I'm told" Jack answered. He walked over and tried on his jacket. It fit him easily and he turned to his team as he slid his sun glasses into place "so how do I look"?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

IBIZA, OFF THE COAST OF SPAIN

Dawn looked up to see Ian walking towards her with two drinks in his hands. With a smile and a sigh, she sank back down onto the sand and continued baking. It still scared her how close she had come to loosing him, but this vacation had helped a lot. After his 'recovery', the Big Four (as Ian referred to the Archangels) had been pretty upset, to the point that Ian had offered his life in forfeit rather than have anyone else punished. That had kind of taken them back a bit, and in the end they had just grumbled about insubordinate underlings. After Colorado the two of them had taken their time and rode out to Cleveland to see Riley's new son. She still couldn't believe he had named him Rupert Ian Finn, not because it wasn't appropriate but because she thought it sounded kind of dorky. She could feel a shadow across her and she rolled over to see her husband looking down at her; a smile eased its way onto her face as she reached out and took her drink.

"A penny for your thoughts there Bella Alba" Ian asked, after she had taken her first drink.

"Just thinking about your godson."

"He was a sweetie, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, he was. Fortunately he looks like Amanda instead of Riley."

"Well that's great, when he gets older everyone will call him a girly/man."

"Yeah, but knowing who his parents are, he'll kick everyone's ass."

"Probably" Ian agreed, then he turned serious "do you ever wish we could have kids?"

"Well, I won't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind from time to time, but I just don't think I'm the settling down type. Maybe if we ever do, we can look at adoption or something."

"Maybe" Ian agreed smiling. "Anyway, we've had three weeks off, are you ready to get back to work."

Dawn looked up "are you serious?"

"Unfortunately" he said "Michael contacted me earlier and said that there's work for us, as soon as we're ready."

"And waiting means that people get hurt doesn't it?"

Ian just nodded.

"So where are we off to" Dawn asked.

"Verkhayansk" Ian replied.

"Where the heck is that?"

"Russia, north of the Arctic Circle; in Siberia."

Dawn looked around at where they were now "well that will certainly be a change." She got up and started brushing sand off her body "well let's get something on that's a bit more appropriate and head on."

Ian just sat and smiled for a moment. He still wasn't sure if he quite deserved her, as fantastic as she was. He did not mention the other thing that Michael had said to him during their talk; that if he made it to thirty, he would be retired, and free to live out his mortal existence. He would tell her soon, he didn't want to keep something like that from her, but he didn't think that the time was right just now. That was would be the granting of the only thing he had ever truly wanted since he had become a Seraph, to grow old with Dawn Summers. To see her smile and hear her laugh for years and years to come; to find some out of the way place where no one knew about demons and have a job and adopt a child or two and just live with the woman he loved.

"You coming or not" her voice cut into his reverie.

He stood up and brushed the sand off his body "on my way" he said.

Hand in hand they walked back to the hotel and changed, joined hands again and headed off to work.

THE END


End file.
